DomusVi’s ‘Lives with History’ initiative, developed in collaboration with Envita, narrates the lives of the people they care for through books written by family members and caregivers. This project, which also makes it possible to personalize the attention and care provided, has attracted more than a thousand participants from a hundred centers throughout Spain.
The initiative ‘Lives with History’ of DomusViIn collaboration with inviteis part of the purpose of the company of improve the well-being of older people in an active social environmentpromoting social relationships and strengthening the bond with family members.
The program is based on an innovative methodology that makes possible the Digitization of the life history of the elderly. The contents (photographs, favorite music, recordings, etc.) are added to an online platform and become a printed book of life that, once finished, the residents receive in a tribute act.
‘Lives with History’ is an initiative that allows narrating the lives of the elderly through books written by family members and caregivers
In this way, with this project, DomusVi celebrates life, shows the importance of recognizing the value of the elderly to those who take care of and remember, once again, that in old age new chapters continue to be added to our book of life.
Once the program has finished, the residents have received their respective book of life in the framework of tribute events held in different DomusVi centers.
The axes of ‘Lives with History’
The program has made more than 500 elderly residents have been able to write their personalized Life Book, drafted collaboratively with the help of professionals, caregivers and family members, after several months of company and dialogue. In fact, the project is based on two axes:
- write to preserve the memory of life
- read to live other lives
‘Lives with History’ has allowed residents narrate the most important moments of his life trajectory and, in turn, bequeath the memory of past times explained in the first person.
Three ‘Lives with History’ from the DomusVi Deans center
- Ani, how to turn the negative into a positive
The natural intelligence and the active and curious spirit of Ani Lopez Mazo (Navarredonda de Gredos, 1928) led her to learn from reading and experience what she could not achieve by studying. This same concern made her, when she was diagnosed with diabetes, managed to improve the lives of many people by founding the Association of Diabetics of Ávila through which she helped to inform, disseminate and share the experiences of numerous patients.
- Ina and her big family
Born in Mediana de Voltoya in 1934, Ignacia Garzon Jimenez he was lucky enough to be able to study typing and shorthand. An uncle of hers recently arrived from the Philippines encouraged her to study languages. In English classes she was the one where she met the one who became her husband after a year, Federico Koch, of a German father and a Spanish mother. In time, they went to live in Germany, where they prospered to have nine children and where she brought a taste of Spain to the German table. Today, she receives calls and visits from many parts of the world, since her children and grandchildren are spread across different cities.
- Fernanda, a convinced feminist
Fernanda Rodriguez Almarza (Blasco Sancho, 1928) stood out at school for his intelligence and for his will and worth to study. Despite having these qualities, her family did not contemplate such an option because she was a woman. She always saw clearly that culture provided work and freedom for women, values that she defended at all costs and that she passed on to her four daughters.
You can see a video summary of the project ‘Lives with History’ of here: