Inside the service preserving the stories of people with life-limiting illnesses
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Many people would give anything to hear a loved one’s voice one last time – a laugh, a story or words of wisdom.
While for some, that moment may never come again, Palliative Care ACT is trying to make that wish a reality with the launch of a storytelling service that preserves memories, experiences and messages for loved ones.
A Moment in Time aims to create a future where every person in the ACT diagnosed with a life-limiting illness can preserve and share their story.
As the next evolution of Palliative Care ACT’s longstanding Life Stories program – which matches people with trained volunteers who document their story – Palliative Care ACT CEO Paul Arztenhofe says that the idea for A Moment in Time came from his own experiences.
“In a discussion with the team, I reflected on how my dad, who had passed away some 25 years ago, used to always tell me the same stories about when they first immigrated to Australia, and how I would give anything to hear those stories again,” he explains.
“We then discussed how the service could be adapted to a digital recording with more flexibility around content and how it would be more suitable for people of all ages.”
With participants now able to choose to create an audio recording, a digital written book, or both, A Moment in Time not only offers greater flexibility in how their stories are preserved but also creates a beautiful lasting memento for families and loved ones to cherish.
“We all live busy lives and quite often forget to take that extra couple of seconds to make and share memories with our loved ones,” says Paul.
“We also hope that for people living with dementia and other neurodegenerative illnesses, recording their memories and having the ability to play them back might help restore neural pathways and slow the progression slightly.”
A Moment in Time is available to people of any age living with a life-limiting illness and is provided at no cost to participants, and the process is simple. Participants are matched with a specially trained Palliative Care ACT volunteer who works with them over approximately six to eight sessions to record their stories.
Across the sessions, the participant remains in control, deciding what they want to talk about and what is included in the final recording or biography. Finally, at the end of the sessions, the volunteer shares the final memento, either as edited audio or a digital copy of a book.
“If families could hear their loved one’s voices at any time down the track, I think it will bring lots of comfort and potentially joy on an ongoing basis,” says Paul.
“Very early into the transition toward the digital service, we had a volunteer sit with a lady for their first interview. That client passed away later in the evening, and the family were able to get from us their mum’s last recorded words and play them at her memorial service.”
Palliative Care ACT also hopes to add video capability within the next few years.
Paul says that at its core, A Moment in Time is also about recognising the person beyond their illness.
“People living with a life-limiting illness have a lifetime of experiences, relationships, knowledge and stories that are important to them,” he says.
“This service creates the space for those stories to be heard and preserved.”
For more information or to book a session, visit amomentintime.org.au or call Palliative Care ACT on 02 6255 5771.
