96 years ago

[pjbuk007]

Looking at their website, I am not sure that they do it, but they could put one in contact with befriending schemes.

Contact the Elderly also looks very worthwhile

http://www.contact-the-elderly.org/

They get people to run tea parties in turn on Sundays in their own homes.

This is imortant, but I am most concerned by people in Care Homes and long-stay hospitals.  Some of these are good, but some are very sad.

[pjbuk007]

I am really brainstorming now!

The Oral History Society site is very interesting:-

http://www.ohs.org.uk/index.php

I shall contact them. 

I suppose the idea I have in my head is one or two trained Oral Historians going into a Care Home, giving a general chat and asking if people would like to talk in a group or alone.  Thereby "doing" oral history, but also interacting with rather ignored elderly persons.

Work in Progress!

[Wendi]

Well I'd support it pjbuk007, !

Work in progress here too!!!

Wendi

[MrsLizzy]

Looking at their website, I am not sure that they do it, but they could put one in contact with befriending schemes.

Contact the Elderly also looks very worthwhile

http://www.contact-the-elderly.org/

They get people to run tea parties in turn on Sundays in their own homes.

This is imortant, but I am most concerned by people in Care Homes and long-stay hospitals.  Some of these are good, but some are very sad.

I agree with you SO much.  My partner's mum worries about being put in a home - I keep telling her that if I have anything to do with it she never will be, but my partner isn't so sure we would be able to cope.  I am so against the idea of trusting care staff not to abuse or neglect her and would far rather she could either stay in her own home or live with us and we pay for private nursing.  I'm sure I've heard it's cheaper than care home fees.

I'm really pleased by all the ideas and links on here - they look so useful and I am going to look some of them up.  I know a lot of people think elderly people are boring but I have a soft spot for them and would happily sit and listen to them tell me their memories (while the tape runs of course!)

[ozlady]

This thread has made me realise how slack I 've been. Dad was 84 last week and for ages I've 'been going to" get his memories down on tape. When i think of what he's lived through and the changes he's seen...........................

[goggy]

There is a similar scheme to that propesed run by the B.B.C and my home town museum/library,in Liverpool,Lancashire.Probably other,s elsewhere that haven't been well publicised..
    There is also a school,s project knocking about in some area,s,not only for memorie,s recorded but also for the pleasure of giving and receiving of enjoyment in each other,s company.
Reliable tape recorder,s and spare batterie,s a must!
             Goggy.

[KathMc]

Some local Girl Scouts did that at a nursing home in town. They interviewed some of the ladies, wrote a "newspaper" and then presented their project. It was a wonderful experience for everyone.

Kath

[Shropshire Lass]

Some care homes do run Reminiscence Activities for their clients.  It helps with maintaining memories and also self-esteem in older people.  Remembering all the things that you have done in your life can be a big boost when you are sitting in a nursing home unable to look after yourself.

There's an extract from a work book here:

www.elderlycarebooks.co.uk/ttr.pdf

I hadn't thought before about how valuable this work is for family historians.  At the moment the exercises are run with a group of older people.  It would be winners all round if our elders could exercise their memories AND have a willing listener who is thrilled at hearing their stories.

Monica

[madammagician]

My great aunt is 102 this year and still as sharp as pin! I love listening to her tales of childhood in London.They were VERY poor, there lodgings burnt down when she was about 10 and they were homeless! The red cross fed them! Her aunt wanted to take her to America to start a new life in 1912 but her parents wouldn`t let her go and the ship that she would have sailed on sank on it`s maiden voyage!( I realised she was talking about the Titanic)She would follow the friut and veg barrows and when no one was looking would cut the bags open with a knife to let all the fruit fall on the floor and as it did her "gang" would grab the fruit and run!It was how they survived! she said she was ALWAYS hungry!