our story
The reminisart story begins with Sylvia Verkley, the founder and driving force behind the company.
The spark for reminisart struck while Sylvia was at a hospital, waiting with a loved one in cognitive decline who was a bit unsettled. She watched as he came across a newspaper ad featuring the company he had served for forty years, tore the page out and folded it on his lap.
“In that moment, I realized he needed that — that familiar company logo was something that made sense, and was grounding and reassuring in an otherwise unfamiliar environment.
And if a newspaper article could do that, how much more effective would personal photographs be?”
From that moment on, she was a woman on a mission. As a visionary and a creative with a deep understanding of the visceral, emotional and transformative impact of imagery, Sylvia imagined creating photo collages that would revitalize those in senior care.
Further research would yield tangible proof of what she already knew by instinct: that photos are an important tool in care therapies designed to restore patients’ sense of agency, power, and belonging.
Experts and care partners lauded the idea. “I believe my dad could have benefitted hugely from something like this,” said one such individual at the inaugural reminisart™ unveiling. “It would have helped all the caregivers see him differently — not just an incapacitated patient, but a real human being.”
Today, each reminisart is designed to coax images of patients’ best lives out of albums and put them on proud display. To restore patients’ sense of self and resurrect their pride in the unique and wonderful journeys they have lived. To showcase the spirit of these remarkable humans. To remind us of the abundant lives they have led. And to bring colour, comfort, and joy to their days.
