The power of a backstory

People Fixing the World

How do you care for someone properly in a hospital or care home if you don’t know who they are?

With US hospitals and care homes seeing fast turnovers of staff, many clinicians don’t get the chance to learn their residents’ backstories. This can lead to patients feeling isolated and misunderstood. Meanwhile, staff miss out on valuable insights which could be incorporated into treatment plans or used to make someone’s hospital stay more comfortable.

But a start-up called MemoryWell is working to fix this by hiring professional writers to create short biographies of residents that get pinned up on their walls. It’s helping staff personalise care for patients and it’s led to valuable points of connection at what can be a difficult and lonely time.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter/producer: William Kremer Series producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: Hal Haines Editor: Penny Murphy

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Image: Dot being interviewed for her biography.