Getting to Know You Using Life Story to Deliver

Life-enhancing Care

Phil Benson

Deputy Service Manager EachStep Blackley

Let me tell you about EachStep…

EachStep is a unique model of specialist care,

created by our charity

It offers joined-up care…. And life story is key!

And it works!

So, what is life story?

Life Story, what is it and why is it important?

• It is a tool to help enhance the care provided to people we support

• Is an activity that involves getting to know a person’s past life events

• A way to help develop an understanding of a person’s experiences

• Recognised as a way to promote individualised care and build relationships

Our Approach…

We believe that….

• Getting to know a person is one of the most important factors when delivering care

• Understanding of what is important to an individual allows us to tailor their care so that it makes sense to them

• Recognising that everyone is unique is the basis to person centred care

• The process of life story work allows everyone to be involved in the care of their loved ones – often families have the best insight.

• The care of the people we support is enhanced by truly understanding ‘the little things’, as well as ‘the big things’

Beyond the facts!

Explore more than just the surface…

• Often Life Story work can stop at the facts of a person’s life history – dates, names or places… It shouldn’t!

• Our work at Eachstep has shown us that looking beyond the facts allows the people we support to share much more of themselves with us and as a result we get to know more about them.

• It is the smaller details beyond the fact that make a real difference

• Bad times are as important as good times when looking at a person’s life story

Applying what we know to care delivery…

Start with the basics…

• Likes and Dislikes

• Family and Friends

• Work Life

• Social Life

• Favourite Things

• Personal Touches

Be Creative!

• The people we support are as unique as the people supporting them

• Using what we know about a person helps us to build a trusting, meaningful relationship that helps us deliver care that is personalised, makes sense and makes a difference

It’s not all about the past…

Experiences continue

Thank you

www.c-i-c.co.uk @ComIntCare