Trilogy Health Services

Learning Their Life Story

September 24, 2018

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By Trilogy Team

At Trilogy, we know that every resident’s story is unique, and that every story matters. And while those with dementia may often forget many aspects of their lives, we understand that it is up to us to be their “biographers” so that we can help them remember their past. This is why we make it our mission to know and understand the lives and loves of our residents. We look forward to speaking with our residents about their values, interests, and experiences that we learn from their life story. Knowing these things and more about our residents help us become better, more in-tuned caregivers, and make our residents’ days brighter and more enjoyable.

How do we learn our residents’ stories?

We often learn the most through initial conversations with family members and the residents themselves. For this reason, upon arrival at one of our communities, we’ll ask you and your loved one questions about their past and preferences. We will then preserve this information to help us lead our caregivers in providing the best care possible for your loved one.

We also ask families to help us create special memory boxes for residents to enjoy. Families may bring in several articles that reflect important times in their loved one’s life such as trophies, books, travel souvenirs and more. Photographs showcasing important moments or everyday occurrences are also important, and once displayed can be used as conversation starters by visitors and caregivers.

And at last, we often learn best through continuous communication with you and your loved one. No matter how much we believe we know, we appreciate that there are always hidden gems to uncover about our residents’ lives, and our interest in learning more about those we are lucky enough to care for never fades.

How does knowing their life story help us to ensure the best of care for your loved one?

• Knowing a resident’s life story allows us to offer a truly personalized experience to each of our residents and their families. This means we have the knowledge required to plan enriching activities your loved one will enjoy based on their lifelong interests.
• Using our knowledge of their life, we are better able to introduce your loved one to fellow residents and other visitors. Shared interests make finding new friends easy at our campuses!
• Being informed about our residents’ lives also allows us to provide helpful prompts without bringing attention to a lost moment. For example, if a resident asks, “Do you know my son?” and we answer, “Yes, I know David.” This provides the needed information without causing distress.
• Knowing their preferences allows us to anticipate our residents’ needs. For example, if we know your loved one prefers coffee with two sugars in the morning, we can ensure that we offer them their favorite beverage so they can rise and shine!
• We can also use our knowledge of their interests to make our residents’ day! Everyone wants to feel valued, so if we know a resident is well-traveled, we may ask for advice about a vacation spot or for their best travel tips. If they love to cook, we’ll ask them for their favorite recipe, or better yet, have them show us how to make it in our kitchen!

Ultimately, our goal is to create meaningful relationships with those we serve to help enrich their lives. Because even though memories may fade, there are always new ones ready to be made at our campuses!

If you are interested in the quality of care we offer, contact a campus near you today.