Rachel Lewis

Founder of The Life Story Team

Our family has always valued life stories- when my Gran shared her photos and the stories behind them, it was inspirational, and I loved feeling part of something bigger. Sadly when Gran was diagnosed with dementia, we lost so many of those important stories as they were never written down or celebrated.

We, therefore, made the effort to record my Grandad's story and soon realised it wasn't just about capturing family history, but it was a therapeutic, creative and fun process for everyone involved.

These experiences inspired me to help other people write their stories. After a few years, I fully realised the importance of these books when I supported people with a life-changing diagnosis and others who were receiving care.

I, therefore, started to look into the academic research behind Life Story work, and the evidence was clear that these books do make a real difference in person-centred care and well-being.

So the next chapter of my story began- creating an affordable, accessible and socially responsible business to offer the benefits of Life Story Books to all...

Impacts and Outcomes

Self

identity

Self

Esteem

Relationships

If you run a community project, please do get in touch about running a bespoke Life Story Workshop. Research shows that everyone can benefit from the process of creating a book. However, there are certain groups of people who really benefit from these books:

Older people

Dementia Diagnosis

Family Carers

Care Homes

What needs we address

Is the activity of making the book the best bit?

Or is it sharing, reading (and re-reading) your lovely book?

For some people, it's all about the activity- the creativity and the therapeutic benefits of making the book.

For other people, the book itself is key- a chance to communicate needs, views and values. The books are life rafts for precious memories and treasured legacies for generations to come.

Life Stories come in all shapes and sizes, but we love books. The way they smell, the way they feel. They are easy and fuss-free. You need no power cables or fancy technology. They can live on the coffee table or by the bedside- an easy way to communicate with new companions or carers, or to share with old friends and family.

Buying the gift voucher for my mother and father in law was an inspired Christmas present. Thanks Rachel for your help and support- I know they are so chuffed with it! The process/ journey you have given them itself has been amazing and the product will be the icing on the cake!

Research shows that helping someone create a Life Story Book can make the job of caring so much more enjoyable.

Professional carers

Gaining a proper understanding of someone's Life Story can lead to better-focused care, common ground can be shared, and assumptions challenged.

The finished book is also a fantastic care tool, for building connections, helping manage anxiety, and de-escalating tense or fraught situations.

Family carers

Creating these books helps provide perspective, a respite from day-to-day care needs, a way to remember shared happy times and they're also a way of connecting with the outside world.

1.4 million older people in the UK are often lonely - Age UK

The UK’s population is undergoing a massive age shift. There are over 11 million people aged 65 and in ten years’ time this will have increased to 13 million people, 22% of the population- Centre for Ageing Better

NICE guidance identifies person-centred care as being central to good quality health services. In May 2020 77% of NHS patients said that staff looking after them involved them in decisions about their care and treatment ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’- Care Quality Commission

Just as any young person leaving care is legally entitled to a Life Story Book, we believe that anyone receiving care should have access to these books too.

This project is all about celebrating the best bits! Telling your story on your terms. Sharing 10 pictures and the stories behind them, helps groups reflect on different 'Life Chapters'- childhood, school, work, family, holidays, hobbies, achievements, reflections and bucket lists.

We provide training and resources to enable a facilitator to run this 5 week workshop, then the professionals at the Life Story Team turn these stories into beautifully produced Life Story Books.