LifeBio just added a new Share button that will allow the biography platform's questions and an individual's answers to be posted to Facebook. Now grandparents and parents may enjoy passing along their memories, wisdom, and values as they proceed through LifeBio's step-by-step process to create a full biography.
It will be fun for the kids and grandkids to read about a parent or grandparent -- the people, places, and events experienced in greater detail. Each time a question is answered, it can be shared if the LifeBio member wishes to do so. LifeBio leads people through WHAT to say with great prompting questions. I think people will enjoy getting the reactions from their family as they learn more about them. The conversations will be richer than ever.
Sign up now for free and start trying it out with a "lite" LifeBio membership account. You can upgrade to Premium membership if you like it!
-- Beth Sanders
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Saving Your Family's Stories: Why It Matters
#familyhistory #genealogy #lifestories
"Why should I tell my life story?" It's a good question, one I hear frequently. I can easily rattle off several reasons:
Sharing stories encourages a closer, more meaningful relationship with your children and #grandchildren. #Family stories are worth telling because you may be able to describe people, times and places that no one else in the family knows about. Lastly, you can help the next generation—inspiring, teaching and modeling strength and courage for them. www.lifebio.com
Although these are three very good reasons to tell your life story, you should also consider what happens if you don't tell your story. What is lost?
Here are three very important things that evaporate when family stories are not shared.
1. Relationships
Do you really know your parents and grandparents? One woman I worked with, Donna, didn't even know her mother's real first name until she interviewed her. She also felt a new connection to her grandfather—someone she had never known—as her mother recounted stories of him.
Genuine family communication has had some setbacks recently. Movies, TV, computers, video games, iPods and the radio have made family time more difficult to eke out and made it less likely that children will have opportunities to talk with older relatives.
Additionally, family gatherings may seem more and more rushed due to relatives living farther and farther apart.
We have to be intentional about connecting, via the phone or in person, if we can, to be sure the stories and the relationships are not lost. Whether you're a parent or a grandparent, godfather or godmother, uncle or aunt, take the time to tell other family members, particularly the children, who you are, what your family stands for, and how much you care about them.
2. Storytelling Opportunities
When stories aren't recorded, some great #storytelling material is lost. It's easy to read our children or grandchildren storybooks, but think about closing the Dr. Seuss book so you can tell them one of our own! YOU have an amazing life story to tell! Know one can tell that unique story but YOU.
I was away on a trip recently and I decided that I wouldn't miss story time with my children that night. So I shared a piece of my life story over the phone. They laughed as I recounted my family's Chicago trip to an exciting international stamp convention (14-year-olds love these kinds of events). All six of us slept in the family station wagon at the most convenient truck stop parking lot and ate Lucky Charms on the tailgate in the morning. Family stories can make for great bedtime or story time material. Reminiscences can contain all the material you need.
3. Values and Beliefs
Stories communicate life experiences and teach the next generation right from wrong. Without family stories, kids miss out on a foundation that could impact them the rest of their lives. Your family could have a long commitment to education or public service or faith. The knowledge of your family's values and beliefs is a foundation for their lives.
As M. Scott Peck pointed out, "Life is difficult." Stories can convey the need for courage when trials and difficulties are encountered. Through stories of war, financial hardships, losses of one kind or another and the larger societal battles over civil and women's rights, our children can see that family members faced and overcame challenges—even death.
Stories can teach how hard work, discipline and strength are needed to accomplish goals.
Real life stories, from your own life and the life of your grandparents and parents, could have a huge impact on the lives of your children and grandchildren as well as future generations. It's time to close the generation gap. Don't lose or forget your stories.
Sharing stories encourages a closer, more meaningful relationship with your children and #grandchildren. #Family stories are worth telling because you may be able to describe people, times and places that no one else in the family knows about. Lastly, you can help the next generation—inspiring, teaching and modeling strength and courage for them. www.lifebio.com
Although these are three very good reasons to tell your life story, you should also consider what happens if you don't tell your story. What is lost?
Here are three very important things that evaporate when family stories are not shared.
1. Relationships
Do you really know your parents and grandparents? One woman I worked with, Donna, didn't even know her mother's real first name until she interviewed her. She also felt a new connection to her grandfather—someone she had never known—as her mother recounted stories of him.
Genuine family communication has had some setbacks recently. Movies, TV, computers, video games, iPods and the radio have made family time more difficult to eke out and made it less likely that children will have opportunities to talk with older relatives.
Additionally, family gatherings may seem more and more rushed due to relatives living farther and farther apart.
We have to be intentional about connecting, via the phone or in person, if we can, to be sure the stories and the relationships are not lost. Whether you're a parent or a grandparent, godfather or godmother, uncle or aunt, take the time to tell other family members, particularly the children, who you are, what your family stands for, and how much you care about them.
2. Storytelling Opportunities
When stories aren't recorded, some great #storytelling material is lost. It's easy to read our children or grandchildren storybooks, but think about closing the Dr. Seuss book so you can tell them one of our own! YOU have an amazing life story to tell! Know one can tell that unique story but YOU.
I was away on a trip recently and I decided that I wouldn't miss story time with my children that night. So I shared a piece of my life story over the phone. They laughed as I recounted my family's Chicago trip to an exciting international stamp convention (14-year-olds love these kinds of events). All six of us slept in the family station wagon at the most convenient truck stop parking lot and ate Lucky Charms on the tailgate in the morning. Family stories can make for great bedtime or story time material. Reminiscences can contain all the material you need.
3. Values and Beliefs
Stories communicate life experiences and teach the next generation right from wrong. Without family stories, kids miss out on a foundation that could impact them the rest of their lives. Your family could have a long commitment to education or public service or faith. The knowledge of your family's values and beliefs is a foundation for their lives.
As M. Scott Peck pointed out, "Life is difficult." Stories can convey the need for courage when trials and difficulties are encountered. Through stories of war, financial hardships, losses of one kind or another and the larger societal battles over civil and women's rights, our children can see that family members faced and overcame challenges—even death.
Stories can teach how hard work, discipline and strength are needed to accomplish goals.
Real life stories, from your own life and the life of your grandparents and parents, could have a huge impact on the lives of your children and grandchildren as well as future generations. It's time to close the generation gap. Don't lose or forget your stories.
Beth Sanders Sign up for FREE at www.lifebio.com and get started without delay. Do your own #biography or capture a parent or grandparent's biography.
See #gift ideas at this link.... a Memory Journal or Life Story Journal is the perfect gift that keeps on giving http://secure.lifebio.com/
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Volunteer programs for hospice volunteers
One of the challenges that hospices face is finding a simple to manage way of promoting engagement between #hospice #volunteers and clients. One of the best ways for people to connect is through life stories. "Tell me about your life" is such a simple but profound question to ask. However, it is sometimes difficult to answer because life is complex and there are so many aspects to cover. For those in hospice care, time is of the essence to tell the story--in his/her own words--before it may be too late. So hospice volunteers can play a vital role in asking the right questions to bring out the rich stories that older adults and really people of ages can share.
Imagine hospice volunteers sitting with a patient for even 30 minutes and building a profile of this person's life in the private and secure LifeBio system. Just with an iPad or laptop and internet access, a simple "About Me" template online can help start the conversations between volunteers and clients. Another great thing is being able to see what volunteers are doing -- and who they are partnering with in easy reports available from LifeBio. The biography unfolds and can be printed out. There is a record online of what was created -- just in case close family wants a copy of the story someday soon.
Consider bringing life stories into your program, but look at ways to NOT do this in a manual way. LifeBio makes it easy to get something done....so there are no regrets later. An obituary is too little too late. When possible, the biography is a much better option.
www.lifebio.com/health Licensing is available for hospice providers around the world.
937-303-4576 or 1-866-LIFEBIO
info@lifebio.com
Imagine hospice volunteers sitting with a patient for even 30 minutes and building a profile of this person's life in the private and secure LifeBio system. Just with an iPad or laptop and internet access, a simple "About Me" template online can help start the conversations between volunteers and clients. Another great thing is being able to see what volunteers are doing -- and who they are partnering with in easy reports available from LifeBio. The biography unfolds and can be printed out. There is a record online of what was created -- just in case close family wants a copy of the story someday soon.
Consider bringing life stories into your program, but look at ways to NOT do this in a manual way. LifeBio makes it easy to get something done....so there are no regrets later. An obituary is too little too late. When possible, the biography is a much better option.
www.lifebio.com/health Licensing is available for hospice providers around the world.
937-303-4576 or 1-866-LIFEBIO
info@lifebio.com
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Memory cues for Alzheimer's patients
One of the key outcomes of gathering life stories from a person with early-stage Alzheimer's Disease or the outcome of gathering life stories by interviewing a close family member to the client with Alzheimer's Disease is....having the essential memory cues to continue to connect and have meaningful conversation.
It can be as simple as gathering 10-12 points of life story data in order to have the right information to remind him or her of details of his/her life's work or childhood memories or education experiences or interesting vacations. With #alzheimersdisease, it is important to do what we can to know the whole person. Too often, people's abilities (especially for ongoing conversation) are discounted by the caregivers around them. With memory cues gathered (while we have the CHANCE), there is no reason that engagement can't happen more routinely and in a richer manner.
LifeBio captures life stories in health care and senior care settings.
www.lifebio.com/health
It can be as simple as gathering 10-12 points of life story data in order to have the right information to remind him or her of details of his/her life's work or childhood memories or education experiences or interesting vacations. With #alzheimersdisease, it is important to do what we can to know the whole person. Too often, people's abilities (especially for ongoing conversation) are discounted by the caregivers around them. With memory cues gathered (while we have the CHANCE), there is no reason that engagement can't happen more routinely and in a richer manner.
LifeBio captures life stories in health care and senior care settings.
www.lifebio.com/health
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Experiential Model of Care -- Gathering the Life Story is Step 1
"Nonpharmacological Interventions Key To Model"
"The essential element in making the experiential model work is transforming the mindset of the residence’s staff from a medical/institutional viewpoint to one that prioritizes building meaningful relationships with each resident and partnering with the resident in each caregiving event and activity of the day.This requires consistent staffing, the elimination of agency staffing, and incorporating meaningful communication between two people—resident and care partner (a term that implies a two-way street in which residents participate in their own care, rather than the term “caregiver,” which implies all the giving occurs on the provider’s side)—who are getting to know and trust each other.
It’s only when the care partner really understands the resident—including history, current views and preferences, spirituality and values, and what tends to trigger anger or unhappiness—and gains the person’s trust that effective, nonpharmacological interventions can take place. All people are more likely to open up about what they’re really feeling to a friend than to a stranger."
Read the whole article from Provider Magazine here....http://www.providermagazine.com/archives/archives-2012/Pages/0912/Bridging-The-Gap-In-Dementia-Care.aspx#magazine-article
Learn more about how to gather the life story and how to make sure it is an engaging experience that builds meaningful relationships for older adults in senior care or health care settings. www.lifebio.com/health
Friday, February 15, 2013
Improving Mental Health in Long Term Care and Hospitals Using Reminiscence Therapy
Health insurers are increasingly being measured for their ability to improve or maintain #mentalhealth. With the growth of #accountable care organizations, the five star quality ratings, and the coming together of insurers, hospitals, physician groups, and senior care providers, it is important to note that health insurers have a key measurement from Medicare to improve or maintain mental health of patients. Organizations that want to meet the needs of health insurers will want to be sure they are keeping this on the radar. One great way to impact mental health is being using reminiscence therapy. LifeBio's approach for reminiscence therapy makes it possible to have patients share about their past memories and experiences. Not only is this good background knowledge (promoting listening between care providers and older adults -- to improve the patient experience), but it is also a great way to increase satisfaction with life, improve cognition, and build self esteem in patients. Whether it is just a few memory prompting questions or filling out a Life Story Guide (20 questions), using the person's life story to relate better is very effective.
LifeBio partners with senior care and health care to provide mental health solutions using reminiscence. Someone's life story is one of the very best way to connect and improve communication and the patient experience. We have an online way of gathering biographical data or Life Story Journals that can be used to learn more. Group sessions or one-on-one visits are all possibilities. Call 1-866-LIFEBIO or 937-303-4576 or email info@lifebio.com or visit....
www.lifebio.com/health
LifeBio partners with senior care and health care to provide mental health solutions using reminiscence. Someone's life story is one of the very best way to connect and improve communication and the patient experience. We have an online way of gathering biographical data or Life Story Journals that can be used to learn more. Group sessions or one-on-one visits are all possibilities. Call 1-866-LIFEBIO or 937-303-4576 or email info@lifebio.com or visit....
www.lifebio.com/health
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Gathering Memories for a Grandparent's Birthday
Have you ever wanted to pull together a memory book with just stories, and memories, and photos to give to a grandma or grandpa for an important birthday? How 'bout a memory book for your parents' or grandparents' anniversary? Maybe it's a 90th birthday. Maybe it is a 50th wedding anniversary. It's always been a lot of work to trade emails back and forth to pull together a group's photos and memories for these special events. Also, you may have wanted a low cost way of doing it so that everyone can just print out the document or you can email them a PDF of the memory book.
Now LifeBio is making all of this easy. Inside www.lifebio.com there is a "chapter" called Stories & Memories that allows families to work together to gather stories and memories! You can upload photos and even audio and video to complement the story. Just have your family login to your LifeBio account and everyone can work together to build a memory book for that special birthday, anniversary, or even a family reunion!
You'll love the fact that you can bring together at least 100 stories -- just assign family members a number or a group of numbers. They can type in their memories and then save under their number/numbers. So maybe brother Bill is assigned numbers 1-5 and sister Sharon is assigned number 6-10 to share 5 memories each. As the book comes together, everyone's memories will be there in an orderly way with photos, stories, and remembrances that will be PRICELESS.
Just click preview and print and the whole thing will come together with a beautiful border of your choice on the page. The text can be long or short (not just a caption) and LifeBio will enable the text to wrap around the pictures automatically.
So instead of fighting with your word processor or trying to fit what you'd really like to say into the captions in a photo book, use www.lifebio.com and have all the tools you need to create an incredible book of family memories. Use the power of the internet to bring everyone together.
www.lifebio.com More questions? Call 1-866-543-3246 or email info@lifebio.com
Now LifeBio is making all of this easy. Inside www.lifebio.com there is a "chapter" called Stories & Memories that allows families to work together to gather stories and memories! You can upload photos and even audio and video to complement the story. Just have your family login to your LifeBio account and everyone can work together to build a memory book for that special birthday, anniversary, or even a family reunion!
You'll love the fact that you can bring together at least 100 stories -- just assign family members a number or a group of numbers. They can type in their memories and then save under their number/numbers. So maybe brother Bill is assigned numbers 1-5 and sister Sharon is assigned number 6-10 to share 5 memories each. As the book comes together, everyone's memories will be there in an orderly way with photos, stories, and remembrances that will be PRICELESS.
Just click preview and print and the whole thing will come together with a beautiful border of your choice on the page. The text can be long or short (not just a caption) and LifeBio will enable the text to wrap around the pictures automatically.
So instead of fighting with your word processor or trying to fit what you'd really like to say into the captions in a photo book, use www.lifebio.com and have all the tools you need to create an incredible book of family memories. Use the power of the internet to bring everyone together.
www.lifebio.com More questions? Call 1-866-543-3246 or email info@lifebio.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
A nurse teaches hospice nurses as she lays dying
Amazing story of a woman who decides to help others learn about the process of death and cancer...as she goes through it every day.
Monday, January 07, 2013
5 Tips for Writing an Autobiography
Have you been saying to yourself, "How do I write my biography?" Here's some ideas to get you started. 1) Talk about the people. The people who shaped your life are going to be an important part of your story. Parents, grandparents, siblings, close aunts and uncles....these are people worth writing about.
2) Childhood memories are worth recording. Your best friend, your favorite climbing tree, your school experiences, and your favorite TV shows. All details that need to be captured....and you'll be surprised at how the process opens a door to more memories. Explore all your senses.
Sign up for a free and start your autobiography today....or interview a parent or grandparent without delay.
3) History has really touched your life. No matter your age, there has been political events, wars, life-changing experiences, wonderful accomplishments in technology, and much more that have shaped history and your own life. These need to be documented in your personal history (you're becoming your own personal historian!)--better than a history book.
4) The real world of adulthood needs to be captured. Love, marriage, children, grandchildren, pets, volunteerism, your favorite charities, and more. What makes your grown up life great? This is something that also deserves to be in your biography or the biography of a loved one.
5) Bring it all together -- Be sure your values, beliefs, life lessons, and more are there for your family and friends to read today and in the future. Genealogy is great, but the essence of who you are needs to be recorded. You and the people who came before you are worth remembering.
Please see more at our online autobiography template....
It's time to tell your story TM
www.lifebio.com
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