Life story work involves compiling a comprehensive record of an individual’s experiences, relationships, accomplishments, and memories. This therapeutic practice provides many benefits when caring for someone with dementia. Life story work taps into long-term memories and promotes meaningful engagement.
What is Life Story Work?
A life story record is an extensive collection of details about a person’s history, personality, interests, and relationships. To create one, a caregiver, family member, or professional works closely with the individual who has dementia to gather:
- Key life events and memories from childhood through adulthood
- Names of important people in their lives and the nature of those relationships
- Hobbies, passions, favourite books, music, foods, places etc.
- Photos, home movies, letters, artwork, and cherished objects holding meaning
All of this biographical information is compiled into a chronological narrative, memory book, photo album, scrapbook, video, or digital slideshow. The completed life story work becomes a way to stimulate reminiscence and meaningful engagement.
Why is Life Story Work Important for Dementia Care?
Life story work taps into long-term memory and personal identity, both of which are retained longer into the dementia journey than short-term memory. Recalling positive life events and relationships through photos, music, discussions, and tangible keepsakes:
- Helps preserve a sense of identity, dignity, and personhood
- Allows opportunities to share wisdom and life lessons
- Generates meaningful and enjoyable conversation and activity
- Enhances relationships between the person with dementia and caregivers
- Provides comfort through nostalgic connections
- Reduces aggressive behaviour, anxiety, agitation, or confusion
- Guides personalised care approaches based on the individual’s unique history
Taking the time to understand and represent someone’s life story can be a great addition to their dementia care, helping you, your family or your team to provide a bespoke, respectful service that doesn’t lose sight of the person in their treatment plan.
When Should Life Story Work Be Implemented?
Ideally, a life story record is compiled early in the dementia diagnosis process to allow the individual to actively participate in its creation while cognition is more intact. However, engaging with the completed life story resource proves beneficial at any stage in the journey.
Even when severe dementia prevents active storytelling, sensory stimulation through familiar images, scents, music, and tactile objects can still evoke positive memories and feelings of calm. A life story resource remains a touchstone to personhood when cognitive skills decline.
What Key Information Should the Life Story Include?
A comprehensive life story captures the full essence of the individual in rich sensory detail. Helpful key information elements to compile include:
- Names, dates, and locations of significance like family homes, schools, workplaces
- Family history and ancestry, cultural traditions, family trees
- Major life events from all decades – births, weddings, military service, first job
- Hobbies, interests, passions, favourite activities, treasured possessions
- Pets, friends, mentors, and other loved ones who impacted their life
- Proudest accomplishments, achievements, claims to fame
- Challenges and hardships they have overcome
- Belief systems, values, lessons learned over their lifetime
The life story can be organised chronologically or arranged thematically with chapters focused on family, career, hobbies etc. Incorporating related photos, documents, artwork, videos, and cherished objects adds sensory detail to illustrate the narration.
How Does Life Story Work Help Dementia Caregivers?
For loved ones providing daily care, life story work offers many benefits:
- Provides insights into the individual’s full history and personality beyond just their dementia
- Helps guide care approaches tailored to the person’s unique likes, dislikes and experiences
- Suggests activity ideas, conversation topics, and stimuli the person will find pleasantly engaging
- Allows caregivers to see past current symptoms and connect to enduring personality aspects
- Helps forge deeper bonds and find common ground between caregiver and care recipient
- Keeps interactions relationship-focused rather than task-focused
Essentially, life story work helps focus care on the whole person behind the dementia condition – their unchanged essence. This inherently enhances compassion and relationships.
Tips for Compiling a Meaningful Life Story Record
Creating a comprehensive life story work record that richly captures an individual’s essence requires care and diligence. Useful tips include:
- Interview the person along with close loved ones together to gain a fuller perspective on their life events and personality. Loved ones may recall details the individual has forgotten.
- Use photos, documents, artwork, possessions, music, scent items and other sensory stimuli to bring memories more vividly to life. These trigger emotions and allow more immersive reminiscence.
- Organise the life story content chronologically starting from birth and proceeding through life chapters. Alternately, arrange it thematically with sections focused on family, school days, career milestones, travel adventures etc.
- Transcribe anecdotes, quotes and the individual’s own words when possible for an authentic first-hand narrative. Recreate their unique voice.
- Include lighter moments, humorous memories, hobbies and pleasures along with serious historical events to capture a balanced life portrait.
- Remember to ask the individual about the wisdom they have gained, lessons learned, and any advice they wish to pass along to future generations. This imparts meaning.
- Continually update the life story over time as the person recalls new memories. It can evolve into a comprehensive legacy document.
Presenting and Revisiting the Completed Life Story
Once complete, sharing the life story work record with loved ones allows its full benefits to emerge as it stimulates reminiscence and connections. Ideas include:
- Print multiple physical copies to share with family members, friends and caregivers. This allows engagement with the life story when visiting.
- Send digital copies to extended family near and far to provide easy access. Share password-protected files online.
- Display the life story prominently in the individual’s room, apartment or house so it can be readily accessed for regular revisiting.
- Rotate memorabilia or highlight specific life chapters periodically to keep it fresh. Variety nudges new memories and discussions.
- Set aside dedicated time to look through sections together regularly as sources of meaningful activity and conversation.
- Over time, create supplemental volumes focusing on new memories, milestones and moments that emerge as life continues evolving. The life story can be an ongoing project.
Using Life Story Work with Advanced Dementia
Even into advanced dementia when verbal skills decline, incorporating life story work into care routines provides mind-stimulating benefits. Tips for this stage include:
- Focus on sensory elements like music, photos, scents, and tactile objects to evoke memories without relying on narrative. Notice emotional reactions.
- Gently orient the person to nostalgic objects and allow time to interact with the items. Watch for facial expressions indicating connection.
- Show life story photos and play significant music during expressions of agitation or anxiety to redirect to more positive thoughts.
- Integrate life story work into soothing bedtime routines by playing meaningful music, using essential oils related to memories, or sitting together with a familiar treasured object.
- Display especially significant photos or possessions and observe the individual’s face and hands for indications of recognition and feeling. There may be awareness beyond what they can articulate.
Life story work remains a touchstone even when dementia has progressed, providing sensory and emotional connections to personhood.
Whether created professionally or personally, compiling a comprehensive life story record can greatly enrich dementia care by celebrating the individual’s journey.
