Title: Life Memories

 
Authors:

Arlene Roache 
Julie Wilcock

Background:
Creating life memories for a palliative patient can be a welcoming healing process for themselves and family members. Life memories hold a sense of a person identity and achievements in life big or small. 

 Aims:
Telling one’s story is the most important part, creating life memories can provide a patient the opportunity to reflect on their own life. It can help provide a sense of “fulfilment”. It can also be a way of leaving personal messages to loved ones, provide time to distract the patient from their illness and the burden of their symptoms. A chance to mend relationships or off load to set things straight. Finally, it can bring comfort in knowing their story has been told and will be passed on to the next generation.

Results:
The completed story is given to the patient or their family as a keepsake in the form of a printed book.  Feedback from the patient and volunteer is that the program has had a positive impact on both client and volunteer.  Time used to reminisce on lived experiences happy, sad, regrets.  Time used to have a laugh, cry, release emotions in a safe space. And that the story will be shared for generations to come