Page 5 - Storytelling - Storylistening

I. The Need to Reminisce and Tell Stories
Remember how lonely and vulnerable you felt your first day in school? Only after your classmates included you in conversations and listened respectfully to you talk about your interests and tell your stories, did you feel you belonged, that you were somebody.
It is true at any age. Reminiscing and sharing stories is as natural and nearly as necessary as eating. It binds families and communities, preserves culture, reveals the wisdom of experience, brings history to life and may well have immediate health benefits.
“We found evidence that strongly suggests that when people listen to ‘remember when’ stories that are meaningful, their systolic blood pressure and heart rate are lowered significantly,” report Drs. Howard Thorsheim and Bruce Roberts of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Their federally financed study included 10,000 individuals in 24 communities.
A growing body of evidence supports their preliminary findings, including a Harvard study reported in the British Medical Journal (August. 21, 1999) which concludes that socializing is as important as exercise for prolonging life for persons 65 and older.
But as we age, social support slips away. There are far fewer opportunities to reminisce with loved ones and feel appreciated as we leave the work force, experience health problems, and see family members and friends move away or die. By the retirement age of 65, men receive practically no esteem from others, Thorsheim and Roberts found.
Little wonder then, why ranks of demoralized, disengaged elders slump listlessly in wheelchairs in nursing homes across the country. Imagine how exceedingly more lonely and vulnerable the first day as a long term care resident must be compared to the first day as a student.
We can substantially improve quality of life for elders and create a friendlier workplace for caregivers by encouraging reminiscing and storytelling. This book aims to show how by providing ideas appropriate for use by families, clubs, religious groups, intergenerational programs, adult day care, hospitals, nursing homes and other long term care environments.
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©Action Pact, Inc.2005-2006 Porch Swing SeriesTM Culture Change Workbooks