Life stories are not suitable for everyone and that’s ok!

Life story work is not suitable for everyone and not all people want to explore their past. I know some people who love talking about the past and others who are reserved and private and don’t want to go there. That’s completely ok, we respect everyone has a view and this process is not suited for everyone. A person may even choose to not talk about a particular time or period of their lives and that’s ok too, it’s your story and you have the right to omit anything you choose not to visit or explore. That is why we provide a free consultation to ensure our client understand the process and this service will meet their needs.

In some care settings life story work involving discussions and listening to a person’s past history is not considered ‘real work’. Often staff has little knowledge about the process, time required and the skills required creating a life story. Let me assure you the emotional contribution you make when attentively listening and walking alongside a person’s story with all of their laughter, joy, pain, strengths and lessons learnt during their lifetime, is working. The skills required include when knowing where the person requires space and empathy and using considered and appropriate questions. This process requires emotional investment, genuine interest and rapport and the relationship developed needs to be built on trust and confidence. Another aspect often unconsidered is the time it takes to recall the story, transcribe it into words, add and scan photos and edit, print and bind the final product. For these practices to be affective in care settings, it is important that the process and benefits are understood and supported by staff and managers.

Whilst there are many benefits to creating a life story and there are very few side effects associated with reminiscence, it is necessary to have an awareness of the potential for unpleasant memories to surface and this can sometimes be a cathartic experience. Our professional skills at Reflections, Lifestories and Counselling come into play here and this is why it is important to have trained staff available when creating a life story. We are qualified to sit with clients in their pain, use questions to explore the strengths they have obtained through their experiences and to skillfully use questions to guide them into more joyous times of their lives. Should we feel the memory is too traumatic and specialist support is required, referrals can be made?

Life story work is suitable for people with early stages of dementia, however consent needs to be provided by the person’s guardian and it is often helpful to have the support of medical professionals involved in their care. With the assistance of carers a person in middle stages of dementia can find the project quite enjoyable, often being delighted with the final product which gives them back some of their identity and sense of self.

Privacy and confidentiality are important considerations when working with life stories. At Reflections, Lifestories and counselling all stories are securely kept in locked files and a person’s life story is confidential, unless of course a person is at risk of harm.