This document describes a program where students in healthcare fields interact with people with dementia to learn life story work. In the program, students conduct individual life story sessions with participants and attend social events. Evaluations found the program improved students' confidence communicating with those with dementia and challenged myths. Participants felt empowered sharing their stories and that it provided meaningful social engagement. The program aims to benefit both students and people with dementia.

1. ‘I thought you would all be
stuck up!’
People with dementia educating
student healthcare practitioners
through life story work.
Jane McKeown, Catherine Tattersall & Emma Yarwood
The University of Sheffield,
School of Nursing and Midwifery & Department of
Human Communication Sciences

2. Key Messages
• The value of life story work for developing
communications skills with student health
care practitioners
• The value of involving people with dementia
in educational programmes
• The opportunity for older people to ‘come to
University’

3. What is Life Story Work
• Working individually
with a person to
listen to stories
about their life.
• Memories, people,
places, hobbies,
work…

4. What is Life Story Work
• Negotiating if / how
the person wants to
record their life story.
• Life story books, ‘pen
picture’, memory box,
collage, photo-story
boards, web page…

5. Group Aims
• Improve student confidence
in communicating with
people with dementia.
• Challenge negative student
myths about working with
people with dementia.
• Provide opportunities for
people with dementia to
undertake life story work.

6. How the Group Operates
• Pre group training for students
• Meets every Weds afternoon during each
Semester at a University venue.
• Speech and Language Therapy & Nursing
Students.
• People with dementia and family carers.
• Project managed – multi-professional.
• 2 hours: 1st hour individual life story work; 2nd
hour social event.

7. Photograph by Emma Yarwood

8. Photograph by Emma Yarwood

9. Photographs by Emma Yarwood

10. Evaluation
• End of semester focus groups with people
with dementia & family carers and with
students
• Pre and post Dementia Attitude Scale
• Ad hoc comments / observations / reflection

11. People with Dementia
“Who could not
enjoy coming
here! They’re
talking my
language –
football!”
“Anybody like me whose
got brain problems, it
opens it up somehow, to
come and talk to people. I
certainly think it’ll help
other people. It’s a relief
actually to know there’s
people there to listen.”
“The nearest we’ll
get to Uni!”

12. Family Carers / Supporters
“It’s bought
up nice
memories we
had forgotten
about and
some we had
not heard
about”
Family carer
“Mum
is empowered when she’s here,
seeing Mum having confidence;
Mum says lots more here; she has
self-esteem and confidence”
Family Carer
“It’s great having somewhere
meaningful to refer people
with dementia to.”
3rd Sector Worker

13. Students
“I think one of the main benefits is
that it allows the person with
dementia to be the ‘expert’, only they
can recount the details of the
experiences that they have had
during their life, and I think it is a
really positive experience for them to
be able to talk about something
without feeling that they might not
have remembered or might be
contradicted, which might happen
when talking about the here and
now.”
“I feel more
confident
interacting with a
person with
dementia”
“It helped me put my
own life into
perspective, as with
life story work you are
experiencing someone
else’s life and what
they have achieved
through their life.”

14. Dementia Attitude Scale
It is rewarding to work with people living with
dementia
I feel confident around people living with
dementia
People living with dementia can enjoy life
I feel comfortable around people living with
dementia
I admire the coping skills of people living with
dementia

15. Considerations
• Whose story is it?
• Social element not for everyone
• Attendance
• Room space
• Funding
• Supervision

16. Photograph by Emma Yarwood

17. Thank You for Listening
Emma Yarwood: Life
story project manager
and photographer
e.yarwood@sheffield.ac.uk
Catherine Tattersall:
Speech and Language
Therapy Lecturer
c.tattersall@sheffield.ac.uk
Contact : Jane McKeown j.mckeown@sheffield.ac.uk
http://cottomcommunicationclinic.group.shef.ac.uk/dementia.html