Is this a subscription? +
The keepsake isn’t — and that matters more than it sounds. $99 CAD once buys the book and the living archive, forever: your family never finds their memories behind a paywall, and you never pay again to read, listen, or download what you’ve made. Your first year of new recording is included. If the conversations are still flowing after that, an optional Heirloom Plus plan ($59 CAD/year) keeps new chapters, new family questions, and narration going — entirely your choice, and everything already recorded stays yours either way.
Do we need to be good with technology? +
One person does. Heirloom is built for a family member who’s comfortable with a phone or computer to lead — on the web or in our app — either on their own or alongside a tech-savvy relative. Your loved one never installs anything or manages any technology; you guide the conversation, capture their stories in their own words, and approve every page.
Will the book use words my loved one didn’t actually say? +
No. Every sentence traces back to something they genuinely told us, and every chapter carries a provenance receipt showing how many of their own words it rests on and who in your family approved it. Heirloom never invents memories — where a detail wasn’t spoken, the page stays quiet. Our rule is three words long: gaps stay gaps.
What if my parent has dementia? +
It works beautifully — and importantly, someone living with dementia is never handed a device or sent a list of questions to manage. A family member gently draws out their stories in ordinary conversation, and Heirloom does the rest. Old memories often shine longest, so we start there. It works hand-in-hand with the SeniorsLink.ca companion app, with caregiver notes and gentle conversation reminders for the family.
Does my loved one need to agree to this? +
Yes — always. Recordings are only ever made with the storyteller's knowledge and agreement; Heirloom opens every first sitting by explaining, gently, what's being kept and why. Where a loved one lives with significant dementia, the family member who holds the authority to make decisions on their behalf (for example, under a representation agreement or as their substitute decision-maker) should be the one to consent, and to stay close as the stories are gathered. And nothing is ever locked in: any recording can be deleted from the archive at any time.
Who can see the stories? +
Only the people you choose. The archive is private to your family, and you decide who has access — now, or only after your loved one has passed. Nothing is ever public. And the recordings themselves stay close to home: your family’s voice recordings and photographs are stored on Canadian servers, in Toronto.
What do we actually receive? +
A printed hardcover photo book and the living archive: every chapter readable and searchable, with your family photographs and their real voice playable beside each story, questions from the whole family, and letters that can arrive on the days that matter.
Giving Heirloom as a gift? +
Many families do. The simplest way: purchase it yourself, quietly begin gathering a few stories over visits and phone calls, and reveal the finished book when the moment is right — a birthday, an anniversary, a holiday table. Extra hardcover copies for brothers, sisters, and grandchildren start at $49 each (longer books cost a little more to print — the exact price for your book is always shown at checkout), and each book can carry a printed dedication from you.
Can we do it a little at a time? +
Yes — that’s how most families use it. Record one chapter over a quiet afternoon and pick up again whenever you like. Your place is always saved.
