Asking the Right Questions
On this episode of the LTC Heroes podcast, Sky Bergman, Director of Lives Well Lived sits down with us to discuss her documentary and the fruitful insights that came from it.
Sky outlines her inspiration for the film and highlights the importance of having the right questions and framework to start from when capturing the stories of elders.
She notes that if your LTC facility wants to start a similar process of gaining insight from your residents, it’s best to take it slow—asking one question per week could be a great place to start.
Everyone Has a Story
She discusses mortality and says it’s important to converse with our elders about it to give them the chance to truly describe their last wishes and desires for the remainder of their lives.
Sky describes the positive benefits LTC facilities have gained by screening her film, including the fact that it serves as a concrete reminder for staff that all residents have a story. They wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to engage with their residents on a deeper level.
Sky closes the episode by highlighting the importance of intergenerational connection for breaking down ageism. She also provides nurses and other LTC staff with actionable advice on how to connect with residents about their stories.
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Rapid Fire Q/A:
What kind of valuable and actionable advice do you expect we’ll cover in today’s episode?
I think one of the things that is really important is to collect the stories of our older adults, you know, those will be lost if we don’t collect them. And then of course we have to share them, and share them with the people who are working at the long-term care facilities. Because to remind everyone, that these are not just patients, they are people that have amazing lives. And it really helps to validate everyone’s life if we collect the stories, and we really listen to our elders.
What is one lesser-known resource, book, or newsletter that you go to when you want to be up to date on LTC info?
I really love Dr. Roger Landry and Masterpiece Living, and I think that their ideas very much align with the things that I discovered in the film. I would definitely look at his work and his book.
Who is one mentor who has influenced the way that you do care in our industry?
Of course my grandmother has been my biggest role model because I want to be like her. And then I think secondly, I would say my dad, who is a geriatric physician, and has been since he got out of med school. He is still practicing even now, in the midst of all this craziness.