As an adviser to seniors, I am constantly impressed by the high level of skill and caring evidenced by many of the health care professionals with whom I work. Even so, sometimes one particular person stands out from the crowd due to their remarkable degrees of genuine caring and unique type of service.
Christine Bailey, M.A., whose deeply felt empathy and sincere warmth is immediately apparent, has combined her passions of holistic health, gerontology and art. She has worked for more than 10 years to enhance the quality of life for seniors, most recently as an expressive art specialist for Masonicare Home Health and Hospice.
She helps the terminally ill and their loved ones in a variety of ways: expressive puppetry, poetry, music, movement, aromatherapy, drawing, photography and storytelling. Using meaningful sensory touchstones to connect them to their environment and finding openings for sharing past events of their lives, she helps to re-affirm a positive sense of identity. Recognizing the value of their lives aids the terminally ill in their preparation to peacefully leave this world.
Seeing the positive results of her work, she came to realize the importance of family legacy and the need for a service that would preserve a family’s precious memories.
Believing that everyone has a story to tell, Christine Bailey’s Colorful Chronicles was born. The occasion of her father’s 80th birthday was the motivation to bring together her own large but far-flung family to record their stories as well as to encourage her Dad to look back over the years and to recall details he thought were buried and forgotten.
Christine says that people often tell her that their life has not been out of the ordinary but as she patiently engages them, their story pours forth. Telling is so important as they realize their strengths in overcoming past adversities which may help them to deal with a current struggle and they also start to reflect on the many moments that have enriched their lives.
Colorful Chronicles is an affordably priced memory keeper which helps healthy but aging seniors, record their interesting stories on a CD, along with favorite music, poems and photographs, to create a treasured family legacy. To do this, Christine interviews family members and asks stimulating questions to encourage the details of colorful past events and stories to emerge. Interviews can even be done over the phone, so that family members living far away can also be involved.
According to Christine, the brain has an amazing ability to retain and retrieve long-term memories which the power of a person’s voice can help to unlock. Additionally, Christine will record favorite music or recipes, preserve and arrange old photographs; she uses all five sense memories to create a life collage album. Because she is also an artist, Christine renders a plaster cast of a loved one’s hands, for clients wishing that memento, as well.
Families might like to plan now for a Colorful Chronicles appointment to preserve the memory of their next family get-together or other special event. I can think of so many occasions I would have loved to have chronicled, including weddings and special birthdays. What wouldn’t I give to be able to hear my mother’s lilting laugh or have a recording of both of us lustily singing our favorite English ditty, "Burglar Bill"?
- For more about Colorful Chronicles, e-mail Christine Bailey at colorfulchronicles@gmail.com or call (203) 278-0120.
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