Senior's Life Story Telling - Ask "Where Were You on This Day in History?"

Life story telling gives seniors a chance to chronologically show a timeline of their lives, and these dates can be related to historical events that took place at the same time. Today, people in their 70's, 80's or 90's can give priceless information about experiences in the first half of the 20th century or later. For instance, you can ask an octogenarian, an 80 year old, what he or she was doing when World War II ended, or when the first launches in the space program took place. The details of everyday life, the feelings of people during historical events, and their reactions can be a family treasure.

Memoirs, life story writing, or journals can be used to record seniors' life histories for later generations of the family to enjoy. If writing is no longer possible for a frail senior, a recording or video can be made of the storytelling.

Since the times of videos many families have recorded events, but prior to that we need to rely on old fashioned storytelling to preserve the memories.

Life before television, before home video entertainment, and before high tech is something that the generations born more recently cannot imagine. For instance, the days when telephones were on a party line were such a different experience. When you picked up the phone your neighbor might be in the middle of a conversation with a relative, you might say hello, and all of you might visit for a moment before you hung up to try again later for an open line. Also, since you never knew if someone might have picked up the phone without your hearing it people were careful what they said on the phone.