The legacy builder meets with the older adult legacy holder once a week for one hour and engages in meaningful conversations. An older adult can choose to meet with the legacy builder for as long as they like. At least 5 weeks of sessions are needed to receive a legacy book.
The legacy book is provided back to the resident at the end of the sessions. The book is in color, and contains a description of the older adult’s life as shared during their conversations with the legacy builder. The book may also contain details on how the student was impacted by meeting the older adult during the semester.
What Legacy Holders are Saying
“I was able to talk to someone about my heritage, upbringing and family. It helped me to remember events that were meaningful to my family and myself. I feel blessed that I was selected to participate in the program.”
“A good generation is on the horizon. My legacy builder was attentive and asked questions. I liked having an outsider to talk to.”
“The Tellegacy program was perfect. We had a lot of fun. I could see her, my Legacy Builder, on the Google Hub, and she could see me. I like the Google Hub because I can do the Tellegacy program through it, and connect with a university student weekly this way.”
What is the Need?
Social isolation is linked to increased rates of loneliness, suicide, hypertension, and other physical health effects, and has been identified as a public health priority.
Loneliness and social isolation are cited as having negative health impacts equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
$6.7 Billion
LONELINESS COSTS MEDICARE AN ESTIMATED $6.7 BILLION ANNUALLY
Source: Lynda Flowers, Ari Houser, Claire Noel-Miller, AARP Public Policy Institute, Jonathan Shaw, Jay Bhattacharya, Lena Schoemaker, Stanford University, Monica Farid, Harvard University, November 27, 2017.
Rewriting the Story
The intergenerational TELLEGACY program helps change this narrative by keeping older adults connected and engaged ”“ reinforcing that their story is one to be told.
Our University students, known as Legacy Builders, connect weekly with older adults via phone or through virtual visits, providing a sense of hope and purpose.
WHAT MAKES TELLEGACY DIFFERENT?
Tellegacy is intentional about relationships and investing in what matters.
Reminiscence Therapy Foundations Approach
Reminiscence is a large part of telling one’s life story, which is an important part of healthy aging and wellness, as shown by over 100 studies.
Reminiscence and reviewing one’s life have been found to:
INCREASE SENSE OF PURPOSE AND MEANING
Sources: Critical Advances in Reminiscence Work, Jeffrey Webster and Barbara Haight, 2003. Transformational Reminiscence, John Kunz and Florence Gray Soltys, 2007.
Mindfulness Approach
Mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a moment-to-moment awareness and attention of one’s thoughts, emotions, and sets the stage mentally for positive change.
The curriculum was strategically designed to create a community that valued each stage of the human condition. This is an important component in training our future healthcare providers, so that primary care workers have a deeper connection to the understanding that each patient has a unique story and their place in society matters.
THEIR STORY MATTERS
Source: Utay, & Miller, 2006.
Goal-Setting and Visualization
Goal-Setting is known to facilitate increased motivation, a sense of meaning, greater focus / decisiveness, and a sense of achievement.
Visualization in goal-setting utilizes the demonstrable abilities of sight, sound, feeling and emotion.
Visualization has been used for centuries and the technique is an established approach in medicine and traditions as well as other healing practices.
PROVIDING A SENSE OF HOPE
Source: Treadway & Lazar, 2009.
Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset practices, especially beneficial to underprivileged individuals, are implemented in this program, as individuals with growth mindset live less stressful lives and are more likely to persevere in the face of difficulty.
Such approaches help others reframe their circumstances as opportunities for growth, rather than insurmountable challenges.
Over time, these growth-mindset behaviors compound, and individuals who have a growth mindset have improved relationships, increased confidence, and a greater sense of achievement.
DISCOVER THE POTENTIAL OF A CONVERSATION
Legacy Book
A PERMANENT REMINDER THAT THEIR STORY MATTERS