The Story of Georgie Muscles: A Narrative Approach to Nurturing Well-Being and Evidence-Enriched Practice in Health and Social Care

Abstract

Abstract:The benefits of life-story work on individual well-being are well documented, and there is growing evidence that personal narratives can be used in learning and development. This article outlines how the life story of one man living with dementia was gathered and used to achieve both of these. However, the benefits did not stop there. The work was undertaken as part of a research project that focused on how research evidence might be used in practice. The prevailing discourse of older people typifies them as passive recipients of care, not catalysts in the use of research in practice. This story outlines how a personal narrative “in-tune” with research findings can bring about research impact when the usual “research recommendations” often fail.