Dementia Caregiver Tip - Storytelling (Part 1) It’s been said that when an old person dies, a library burns to the ground. Their treasure-trove of memories, life experiences and teachable moments is lost forever. But recent findings reveal that allowing people with memory loss to talk about their lives and encouraging them to tell their personal stories contributes to their well-being. Surprisingly, it helps their caregivers, too. Compelling Insights From an Expert Joseph Gaugler, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Nursing and Center on Aging at the University of Minnesota, offered some compelling insights about this phenomenon in our Q & A session. Q: How Does Dementia Affect a Patient’s Ability to Tell Stories? JG: At first with Alzheimer’s, short-term memory is usually the most at-risk . But longer-term memory – memories from one’s past, childhood memories that were poignant and important to the person – is sometimes maintained longer as the Alzheimer’s progresses. So people can often talk about their lives and their stories in a very touching way. Q: Why is Storytelling So Important in Cases of Memory Loss? JG: Telling stories is critical to the well-being of the person with memory loss, and also to the person who is caring for them. When someone is not able to express themselves in the moment, we often lose sight of who these individuals actually are, what their life experiences were, what they liked. That’s a critical gap in quality care for persons with memory loss or dementia.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:08:17 +0000
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