Meaning-Making, Connectedness, and Legacy: Examing the Benefits of Storytelling in an Aging Population.
This research project has been my favorite by far. It centered on an examination of the impact of storytelling on key developmental needs and goals among older adults. Research among older adults is unique, and I was awarded a Creative Longevity, Wisdom, and Positive Aging Scholarship. The number one key finding was the importance of connection. I would love to tell you more about my research and other key research-based strategies and programs that I can help you implement for positive aging and successful older adult programs for your older adult focused community group. It’s all about the story!
Losing Our Wisdom.
There are so many wonderful takeaways from my research on storytelling and older adults that I cannot sum everything up here. Sometimes people and events just stay with you. Some experiences can be sticky, and so it is with this project. This study has been so much more than analysis and interpretation.
Qualitative research brings a different dimension to research, and as I ponder comments and thoughts over and over, I learn more. I have profound appreciation and gratitude for the people that helped form and contribute to this project. The insight they have provided into their experiences, lives, and stories is humbling, amazing, and profound. Not everything can be digitized. For that I am saddened that we are losing our wisdom as our older adults, our elders, pass on.
These three conclusions are realized every day for me and have become part of my own wisdom: