Life Story

Life Story work is being promoted as a way to make dementia care more person-centered. We all have a story, and no one can be understood by how they appear today out of the context of that stay. Life story work typically involved helping our residents to make a record of some aspects of their life. We ask a resident's family to write a summary of their life using a list of prompts. We look to celebrate and preserve memories.

The key message from the people we spoke to was that whether life story work enhances dementia care depends to a large extent on what the people involved want to get out of it.

Life Story Work is particularly useful in treating and providing care to elderly people tacking dementia. When dementia, is not a factor, the activity is still useful in building relationships between residents and carers at our home. They help care staff get to know each resident's history, family, professions, pets and interests.