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Eliciting a life story – a responsibility to aging seniors

Veterans Day is a reminder of a well-recorded past. Watch aging veterans assemble in parks, read about Honor Flight – where veterans aged 83 to 100 are flown from across the country to Washington to visit the World War II and other memorials. Veterans Day is a moment in which the history and backgrounds of individuals are celebrated, speeches are given, flags are waved.  Sit next to veterans at one of these events and they will proudly tell you about the remembered past.  I wonder how many of them, though, have actually left a recorded (or video) version of that remembered past for family members?

Ask any seniors to tell their story while they can.  So when I see an elderly lady sitting in the garden outside an assisted living community, I wonder if she has participated in the video life story program there, or if they have one.  Has anyone at a nearby senior center facilitated a ‘guided’ autobiography session – like this Stories Unfolding process, for example, or TellingStories – an oral history archives project of the Urban School in San Francisco --which has already recorded the stories of Holocaust and Japanese camp survivors. Has a family member tried LifeBio or Life History Services, sites wit the tools and services to record your own life story or someone else’s.

But what if a person has dementia and no story has been recorded?  Here’s where a family interview with information recorded or written is so important – and I doubt that most admissions/marketing/intake processes for assisted living or nursing homes consider the significance of documenting -- maybe even with family-provided photos -- and then sharing it with staff so that they have a better understanding of the people in their activities programs and around the lunch table. Jack York (IN2L.com) tells the story of a new user of his system who turned out to be the first woman in Vermont to fly an airplane – but the only way her nursing home staff discovered it was when she encountered the IN2L software’s flight simulator.

It’s not okay to not know the history. A missing (auto) biography is unacceptable in a day and age where the tools to record are broadly available – someone brought the woman pilot to her first senior residence. I bet that the person signing admission forms knew she had been a pilot.  All they had to do (if asked) was to write down a page of her history so that it could be viewed in her room or on the door or even accessible in an online tool in an activities center, reached by touching her photo.  With a life story documented, the staff could see it every time they entered her room, home care workers could read the life history of those who suffered a stroke and could no longer speak.  It could accompany belongings into a hospital, along with the change of clothing. If she used to sing in a choir, what was her favorite piece of music? Would it please her to hear it played, see the pictures? And just as we honor the veterans among us on Veterans Day, we could honor the former pilots, teachers, singers, and nurses among those aging around us -- every day.

Comments

What a wonderful suggestion- a recording of senior's stories is a gift that families will cherish for years to come.

I was privileged a few weeks ago to be what is referred to as a guardian escorting to WWII vets from South Florida to DC for the day (a very long day). To see and hear these men, who are at least 86 years old, be almost struck dumb when they got off the plane in DC and were met my hundreds of people of all ages and lifestyles waving flags, applauding, and saying thank you. One of my vets, after almost ten minutes of not being able to talk told me that was the first time anyone thanked him for his service. Please find a WWII vet and thank them. You will much appreciated.

Recently InterActiveCorp launched www.proust.com as a platform to document a family's history or a person's life story. This is a free service from IAC.

According to proust.com it is "a place for families to share the stuff that really matters. It's a place to capture our life stories, thoughts, and aspirations and spark meaningful conversations about who we are."

It could be a great resource for activity directors within a residential community or adult day care to document an individual's history. Possibly done in a collaboration with a family.

Laurie,

Spot on! As always...

Note that Independa Life Stories is a feature within the Independa subscription service that allows family or professional caregivers to record life stories from a distance, using a standard telephone. Independa Life Stories garners the most positive and visceral reactions, from care givers as well care recipients alike! Easy to use, yet compelling. Capturing memories, to then share over email or Facebook, for years and generations to come.

Spot on!

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