Why Flexibility Matters in Legacy Planning

Legacy preservation is a powerful tool for people living with dementia. It offers them the opportunity to reflect, record, and share their story—while reinforcing purpose and identity.

However, dementia is progressive, and the ability to communicate or engage meaningfully changes over time. That’s why a flexible legacy project schedule is so important.

Creating a responsive, adaptive schedule helps individuals feel empowered, rather than overwhelmed. It gives them the time and space to preserve what matters most, at their own pace.

According to Advance Care Planning Australia, early, gentle engagement is key to successful and emotionally beneficial legacy planning.

Understanding the Benefits of an Adaptive Schedule

A tailored schedule allows for:

• Emotional readiness: engaging when the person feels mentally and emotionally strong
• Energy management: limiting fatigue with short sessions
• Personalisation: focusing on content formats and memories most meaningful to the individual
• Progress tracking: celebrating small wins over time

Family Legacy Series tools and templates help families break legacy work into achievable parts, making the process less daunting.

Building the Legacy Schedule

Step 1: Identify Preferred Communication Methods

Begin by identifying how the person prefers to communicate. Are they more comfortable speaking, writing, or using photos?

Platforms like Evaheld allow a mix of formats: video, audio, text, and image-based content.

Step 2: Choose Comfortable Times of Day

Most people with dementia function better during specific times—often in the morning or just after meals. Aim to schedule legacy sessions during these higher-energy periods.

Step 3: Break Tasks into Bite-Sized Pieces

Rather than long interviews or large uploads, break sessions into:

• “Tell me about your childhood home.”
• “Let’s record a video about your favourite meal.”
• “Today, let’s choose 3 photos to describe.”

These small steps reduce mental strain and foster success.

What to Include in the Schedule

• Weekly memory themes: childhood, family, holidays, careers, life lessons
• Creative formats: audio messages, storytelling videos, or drawings
• Backup tasks: uploading content to Evaheld Legacy Vault
• Review sessions: revisiting old recordings or adding context to earlier entries

Online Will Blog offers tips on balancing legacy creation with practical care planning.

Involving the Whole Family

Legacy creation doesn’t need to be a solitary task. Involving family can ease the pressure and enrich the process.

• Children can ask questions or draw with their loved one
• Carers can help with prompts and technical setup
• Siblings can fill in details or offer additional perspective

Families in the sandwich generation often use legacy sessions as shared time between parents and children—creating bonding moments and reinforcing multigenerational identity.

The Evaheld blog shares examples of families building legacies together, even from a distance.

Adapting the Schedule Over Time

As dementia progresses, legacy planning must evolve too.

Early Stage

• The person may lead discussions and decide what to share
• Prioritise complex memories or legacy letters
• Use Advance Health Directive to begin parallel medical and care planning

Middle Stage

• Reduce session length
• Use photo prompts, music, and co-storytelling
• Focus on recording values and emotionally significant messages

Late Stage

• Transition to sensory-rich storytelling: listening to recordings, viewing photo slideshows, or touch-based memory items
• Use familiar smells, songs, or images to prompt calm and connection

Guidance from Dementia Support Australia and Nurse Info can help carers tailor these activities.

Storing and Reviewing Content Securely

A digital schedule should include:

• Backups of each legacy session
• Clear naming of files
• Private storage via Evaheld Legacy Vault, which allows for timed or private release

Advance Care Planning Australia also recommends storing directives, preferences, and stories in one secure location for access during care transitions.

Managing Emotional Highs and Lows

Not every session will go smoothly. It’s important to pause or reschedule if the individual feels tired or emotional. Emotional safety is more important than “completion.”

Legacy sessions may also reveal difficult memories. Resources like Family Legacy Series and Dementia Australia offer guidance on supporting emotional wellbeing during reflection.

Carer Insights and Documentation

Carers can document their observations and thoughts alongside the person’s legacy journey.

For example:

• “She smiled when she saw the beach photo.”
• “He became calm when talking about his brother.”
• “She repeated the story of her wedding dress three times—let’s record it.”

These insights deepen the family archive and add emotional layers to content shared on Evaheld.

Making Time for Review and Celebration

Build in time to revisit completed stories, listen together, and celebrate milestones.

• Create a legacy playlist
• Host a memory-sharing afternoon
• Print a scrapbook with QR codes linking to Evaheld recordings

Online Will Blog and Family Legacy Series offer creative ways to share and honour completed legacy projects.

Final Thoughts

A flexible legacy schedule gives people living with dementia the opportunity to share what matters most—on their own terms. With the right support, even the smallest contributions can become lasting gifts.

Whether it’s a voice note to a grandchild or a video of a favourite recipe, these shared moments create peace, purpose, and connection.