Should I Film My Elderly Parent’s Memories?

By Andy Niska | January 11, 2018 |

There’s no better way to capture your elderly parent’s family history and personal memories than on video. With today’s digital recording technology, just about anyone can capture their aging mom or dad’s fondest memories and important recollections. However, procrastination is one of the biggest reasons why adult children and family caregivers miss out on immortalizing their parents on video.

Caregiver in Spokane WA: Recording Your Parent’s Memories

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with your responsibilities and recording your parent’s family history is one of the last things on your mind. Between your work, kids, hobbies, and caregiving duties for your aging parent, it’s all you can do to get everything done in a day. It can also seem overwhelming to plan out a video session or record your parents. The good news is that there are many different guides online that provide interview questions, storytelling prompts, and more. All you need is a digital recording device and some conversations starters and you can begin to record your elderly parent’s memories.

It may seem as if you simply don’t have hours and hours to devote to this kind of project. However, like most things worth doing, you can make a commitment and tackle it a little at a time. Some adult children have a regular appointment with their aging parent where they spend anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes on a particular topic. Other adult children set out a block of time on a slow weekend day to hit the highlights. There’s no right way to do an oral history, and even a little bit of recorded memories can be very valuable.

If your elderly parent is a little reluctant to talk about their early days and adulthood, you can do your best to persuade them to open up and share. Many elderly people will give in when they realize that there is someone that wants to hear their stories and that grandchildren and great-grandchildren can benefit as well. Assure them that you aren’t looking for a lot of drama or a blockbuster movie plot—you just want to know about the people, places, and events that were important to them.

When you are doing the interviews, start out slowly and get them used to talking about their past. Encourage them to add details such as dates, names, and how they felt at certain events. Keep the topics simple but don’t shy away from the difficult events they may have faced. Above all, make sure you get them to explain their perspective on events that shaped their lives. Future generations will definitely benefit from hearing how their relative handled challenges and dealt with both good times and hard times.

After you’ve recorded your elderly parent sharing their memories, don’t keep such a treasure trove of information to yourself. You can make copies for aunts, uncles, siblings or other family members that might benefit from hearing your elderly mom or dad. If your parent has unique information or perspective about their community, you can also contact an oral historian to see if they are interested in a copy.

As the family caregiver, you have a unique influence on your aging parent and you should try to convince them to share their personal stories with you. You won’t regret clearing up some time in your schedule to film your elderly mom or dad as you interview them. The video will capture their voice, mannerisms and gestures that will be even more special to you after they are gone.

If you or an aging loved one are considering caregiver services in Spokane, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

Source:

https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/preserve-stories-grandparents-expert-tips/

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.