Recording memories: Southeast Hospice begins life review program for patients

Volunteers at Southeast Hospice will soon begin making keepsake videos of patients sharing their stories and memories. Equipment for the life review program was funded by donations from Thrivent Financial City of Roses Chapter.

"We've been interested in this since about four years ago, but it wasn't feasible money-wise," says Pearla Smith, volunteer coordinator at Southeast Hospice. The price of cameras and other equipment has gone down since then, and that, combined with donations from Thrivent and other groups and individuals, has made the life review program a reality. "We're pretty much ready as soon as patients are interested in having it done," says Smith.

The videos, to be recorded and edited by volunteers, will include on-screen interviews, family photos and music. DVDs will be presented to family members to provide a connection to their loved one even after he or she has passed away.

"Knowing that you have something to go back to --not just a letter written by grandma to the family, but actual voice and picture of her -- it means so much more for the family to be able to pass this on," says Smith.

She even tested the project with her own father, asking him about his brothers and sisters and the things he got in trouble for when he was a kid.

Smith adds that remembering a loved one is part of grieving, and it helps to see the person on video.

"It really does help with the bereavement process. So many people have different challenges when it comes to bereavement. This helps them get over the hump of missing a loved one," she says.

Families and patients will work with a social worker to get the ball rolling on the life review project.

"We're working on it with the social worker's help to tell what kind of condition families and patients are in, and if they're emotionally ready to talk about themselves or their family or leave last messages," says Smith.

She encourages families to start life review projects on their own, even before a loved one enters hospice. All you need is a camera or video camera, especially one with good sound quality. Sit down with your loved one and ask him or her to tell favorite memories, funny stories or talk about family history, Smith suggests.

"Being personal with a camera can be easier for individuals to talk into, rather than all the emotion that goes with telling a family member what you want for them in the future, how much you love them and how much you're going to miss them," she says.

Life review can also include events and facts of a person's life, ups and downs one has experienced, and thoughts and ideas regarding faith, values, purposes and goals, says Carol Dippold, geriatric care manager and counselor at Lutheran Family and Children's Services in Cape Girardeau. Discussing these topics provides a sense of purpose, identity, value and belonging, she says, and allows for connectedness if one is talking with another person. It can even lessen feelings of loneliness and depression.

"Both life review and reminiscence help the family or caregivers gain knowledge and understanding of the person who is reviewing or reminiscing," she says. "They also can serve to provide links between the person's past experiences and present behaviors. ... They also provide means for others to connect better with the person who is reviewing or reminiscing."

Journaling is another way to start a life review project. Dippold suggests fill-in-the-blank or Q&A-style books, such as "The Book of Myself: A Do-It-Yourself Autobiography in 201 Questions" and "Book of Myself: A Do-It-Yourself Autobiography in 20 Questions."

Dippold, who works closely with people experiencing early and advanced memory loss, urges individuals to work on life reviews on an ongoing basis: "One never knows when something could happen to cause the memories to be lost," she says.

For more information or to volunteer with the life review program at Southeast Hospice, call 573-335-6208. For information about the memory loss groups at LFCS, call 573-334-5866.