Our Aged Care Partners
Beyond Words helps to create a real sense of community within the nursing home, with residents feeling more valued and aged care staff developing greater insight into the lives of residents and enhancing holistic person-centred care.
It’s been a win-win situation for our residents, relatives and staff members. The benefits to residents have been immeasurable. They have been able to provide their family with a beautifully bound “life story”, told in their own words. For one family, this is especially poignant, as their mother died within a short period after completing her story…
As staff members, we have been very privileged to be able to read these stories (on invitation) and learn details about our residents that may never have come to life without this program. Instead of the information provided from family members on admission, we now know details that the residents themselves deem to be significant in their lives!
There has been a lot of discussion amongst the residents and many more would love to be able to tell their own ‘Life Story’.
-Erin Kennedy, Service Manager, Mercy Place Montrose
Our residents who have participated in the program have had a positive experience and often talk to the staff and other residents about how they have a book about their life story…. (Making the others quite envious). One resident during her presentation said she felt so important and loved people listening to her tell her story.
-Kate Page, Clinical Care Coordinator, Mercy Place Montrose
Whilst volunteer biographers are specialists in recording life stories, aged care staff have important clinical insights into the conditions of residents and therefore we liaise closely with senior aged care staff who:
- Refer those residents who would most benefit and who are appropriate
- Assist in monitoring the biography process with respect to resident’s overall heath and wellbeing
If you are a senior manager of an aged care provider and would like to partner with Beyond Words then please email: info@thebiographyprogram.org.au