A good day reinforces our sense of who we are.

Our life history is an important part of our identity: Where we grew up, where we worked, our families, our hobbies and so on. These details helped make us the person that we are and help people to understand who we are. Sometimes the changes that come with dementia can make people at risk of losing the clarity of their own life story. It is easy for them to be defined by their dementia. We can help support them to maintain and celebrate their life stories. (Gridley, 2016, SCIE, 2020).

This month's big idea is life story work. Life story work involves helping people to make a record of some parts of their life, with photos and information. This might be in a book, a collage in a picture frame, or in an app. If you are just starting out, we have a selection of four great free resources that you may find useful.