Attending to experience in narrative care: Contemplating forward looking stories

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology
• Healthcare Studies

Background:

• Growing interest in integrating narrative approaches into care practices.
• Previous research has explored and expanded the concept of narrative care.
• Care is fundamentally viewed as a narrative endeavor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore narrative care as an active, relational co-composition of experience.
• To understand narrative care as a forward-looking process, not solely focused on past events.
• To investigate how narrative care fosters learning, imagination, and agency.

Main Methods:

• Autobiographical narrative inquiry.
• Collaborative reflection on experiences with older adult family members.
• Analysis of lived experiences to understand narrative care dynamics.

Main Results:

• Narrative care involves co-creating meaning and making sense of the world imaginatively.
• It transcends simply listening to stories, focusing on active engagement and shared experience.
• Narrative care facilitates an openness to learning, imagining possibilities, and living with agency.

Conclusions:

• Narrative care is a dynamic, forward-looking process that empowers individuals.
• It enables the retelling and reliving of life experiences, fostering personal transformation.
• This approach supports the creation of future-oriented narratives and enhances life agency.