Many adult children are taking advantage of digital recording technology and setting up interviews with their aging parents. The idea is to preserve their family history and capture recollections and memories of the past. It’s important for bridging the generations and helping descendants know more about those who came before. Adult children will be grateful that they took the time to get some recordings before it’s too late.
Preparing for an interview with an aging parent is overwhelming, and many family caregivers procrastinate because they are not sure how to begin. The good news is that there are lots of guides online about where and how to interview aging adults about childhood memories. With some basic video tips and a list of interview questions, adult children and family caregivers can capture some family history in just a few hours.
When choosing a location, make sure it is a place that is comfortable and quiet. There should be plenty of natural light, but it should not be behind the elderly person. For example, family members can set up a comfortable chair facing a window, not with the back to the window. Most digital recorders have excellent microphones, but a smartphone may need to be set quite close to the elderly person to capture their voice well. Finally, family members should make sure they won’t be interrupted by other people, barking dogs, traffic, and telephones.
It’s not hard to come up with questions to ask an elderly person about their lives, but family caregivers may not know where to start. Sometimes, they need to guide the interview as it transitions from one memory to the next.
Here’s a list of open-ended questions that will prompt the aging adult to open up and share more about a certain phase or chapter of their life.
-What was your house like growing up?
-How many brothers and sisters do you have and what do you remember about them from childhood?
-Did you have any pets as a child?
-What were your favorite high school memories?
-Did you go to college and if not, what did you do instead?
-What world events do you remember as you were growing up?
-How did you meet your spouse and where did you get married?
-What was the best job you’ve had?
-What were your own children like as they were growing up?
-What were your favorite games and hobbies?
-What advice would you want your children to listen to you about?
-What do you want people to remember about you?
It’s always valuable for adult children and family caregivers to remember how important it is to record personal family histories of aging parents. There’s no better time to document one’s own family heritage via video recording than now because life is uncertain and there may not be another opportunity in the near future.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elderly care in La Mesa, CA, or the surrounding area, please contact the caring staff at Love 2 Live Care. Call Today 1-619-291-4663
Source:
Familysearch.org
