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Angels and Heroes Exercise "Feeling Gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward   An 'Angel' is the one whose kindness and love sustained you as you have grown, faced difficult times and personal loss. A 'Hero' is the one who inspired you...

  When the generations of a family stop interacting on a daily basis the spontaneity of the interactions begins to suffer. Likewise, family visits with an elder under care become stilted and awkward, and ultimately less frequent. Changing the dynamic of the family visit to become engaging, rewarding, purposeful and productive...

Famous people get all the adoration and recognition. But Peanuts creator, Charles Schultz, helps us recognize the real heroes in our lives, whose story should be part of our own legacy. The questions below should inspire you to share a legacy story! Just read the questions to this quiz. You don't...

10 MOTHER'S DAY MEMORY TRIGGERS Mother's Day is the perfect time to write or record a legacy story about your Mom.  Here are 10 memory triggers to get you thinking:   What saved item mostly fondly reminds you of your mother? Describe one of your mother's unique personality traits. What advice...

History is a chorus of voices and everyone deserves a chance for their voice to be heard by future generations. The human voice is an amazing thing with a full range of subtleties that give us our unique identity.  When listening to an audio recording of a loved one something magical...

Few things in life are more valuable to a family than an elder's life lessons and experiences. Most family members realize this and have every intention of one day taking time to have that special "legacy talk." Unfortunately, because of life's distractions and the convenience of social media, that day rarely...

If you've ever binge-watched a show on Netflix or any of the other platforms, you know how the first episode compels us to watch the next until the end of Season 1.   When it comes to telling your life story, why not conceptualize in the same way? After all, you...

I'm not a 're-gifter' by nature but an idea came to me this morning when thinking about what I wanted to give my Dad on Fathers Day. Like most Dads, he taught his children valuable life lessons, priceless gifts we still use today. My sons learned many of these lessons because...

On Memorial Day we'll show our respect and appreciation to military heroes who gave life and limb for our freedom. While we remember these incredible men and women, their families are often forgotten. It is impossible to measure the degree of sacrifice and pain these families have suffered. Many provide constant...

As a Vietnam vet, I find it easier to share war stories with fellow vets than with non-vets. But there's a lot more to military life than the worst of the worst. And since only a small fraction of veterans ever see actual combat, there are lots of fascinating stories to...

    The demographic tsunami of baby-boomers is breaking on our shores and will soon swamp the elder care industry. The flotsam left in the wake of this phenomenon is an exponential increase in cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s.     While there is no cure as yet, Reminiscence Therapy (RT) can...

Whether you are a professional caregiver or have finally gotten around to asking an aging relative to share their life stories, be prepared for the unexpected. As enthused as you might be to hear some amazing life experiences, the elder may not be so much.   Young people today are living...

Although it is important to sort out and document legacy stories from your past, not all of your defining moments and milestone events happened in your distant past. In fact, you are still making history every single day, mostly being recorded in real time on smart phones, tablets and in social...

Chart courtesy of Allianz American Legacies Pulse Survey      There is a huge unmet demand to provide a solution that can marry the client’s values with their valuables. Advisors need to know that their client’s life experience, the lessons learned and hard won wisdom cannot be listed on a balance...

When it comes to aging and the transitions that life demands, as a society we have made decisions affecting our elders for all the right reasons, but for too many those decisions have unintended consequences. Few would disagree that the aging environment has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Advances...

Why Legacy Talks came into being: A survey of Baby Boomers and their parents, conducted by the Allianz American Legacy Study, were asked to rank their priorities when it comes to passing down an inheritance. Despite the perceived importance these generations place on leaving a legacy, only a small fraction has...

VISITNG ANGELS HOME CARE PARTNERS WITH LEGACY STORIES TO LAUNCH LEGACY TALKS, REMINISCING WITH PURPOSE Visiting Angels, one of the largest home care franchisers in the United States, has launched a new photo reminiscing service called, “Legacy Talks.” Developed by the team at Legacy Stories, Legacy Talks helps seniors take a...

It all started when we were faced with making room for my son and his family to visit for Thanksgiving. My husband brought out four boxes of unsorted photos and said, “This is your job.” Yikes! I knew better than to start the sorting process with company coming, but cleaning up...

Teenagers and their grandparent’s generation have more in common than most believe, and they have mutual gifts to offer one another. Creating an intergenerational legacy is among the most rewarding and memorable projects they can share. In an online article entitled Understanding the Elderly, Dr. Beverly Block, a staff psychotherapist with...

Every picture tells a story and photo reminiscing can be therapeutic, especially when grieving the loss of a loved one. Recording these recollections can give voice to a departed loved while providing inspiration to future generations.  That was the case for Gail Sheehy, NYT Best-Selling author of Passages, written while caring...