Storytelling in Memory Preservation

An essential tool for preserving history, culture, and personal memory, storytelling continuously evolves to meet the needs of different individuals with the use of technology. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, which specializes in Alzheimer’s care, support, and research, 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer's, a number “projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050” (Facts and Figures). This creates an urgent need for effective therapeutic interventions, such as storytelling and reminiscence therapy, to enhance patients' quality of life. Currently, storytelling is used for therapy as it is a powerful tool to recall memories for those with memory-loss related diseases, like Alzheimer's. By bridging the gap between present and past events, patients are more likely to connect with lost memories (Lacy and Stark), as stated by Lacy, Joyce W. and Craig E. L. Stark, a researcher in memory, aging, and cognitive neuroscience and a professor at UC Irvine’s neurobiology program, respectively. Verbal recounting and video storytelling are just two of the ways that patients can retain a sense of identity, be engaged with their early life, and communicate to those around them. Furthermore, in the past, storytelling was vital to the survival of cultural identities and continues to be, particularly in indigenous tribes. Storytelling was the basis of oral traditions that passed down knowledge, history, and beliefs, helping individuals maintain a connection to their roots. Unfortunately, Judith Binney, a historian and professor at the University of Auckland, mentions that because of globalization and the primary source of history being from a colonial perspective, stories that connect communities and their ancestral lands are being lost. Similar to preserving the memories of Alzheimer’s patients, spreading these stories can aid in safeguarding cultural narratives and connecting generations, affecting society’s remembrance of the past. 

The cruciality of storytelling lies in its ability to spark reminiscence about past experiences. A paper by former professor Bob Woods and his team at the Dementia Services Development Center in Bangor University states that Alzheimer’s patients benefit from reminiscence therapy and are more likely to connect to their past. It encourages them to “evoke memories, stimulate mental activity,” and, in turn, retain a sense of self and identity (Woods et al.). With the increase in technological advancements, techniques like digital storybooks can offer patients an additional way to record and revisit memories with greater interaction and accessibility. Munan Ning, a PhD student at Peking University, references studies that suggest this idea of “sharing experiences with friends and followers… holds the potential to enrich memory recall and forge deeper emotional connections” (Ning). Incorporating visual and auditory elements (e.g. photographs, voiceovers, music, animation) into storytelling makes this therapy method more vivid and engaging for the patients, lessening the effects of memory loss and providing emotional support. For example, in 2003, a digital archiving tool called StoryCorps launched, guiding families through an interview process and allowing patients to preserve their conversations in their own voices (StoryCorps). These conversations can also promote emotional health and social interactions. Alzheimer’s patients often experience social isolation due to their condition, which can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety. Thankfully, studies, including one by Dr. Whear, a senior researcher specializing in health services, and another by Ling Xu, an associate professor at the University of Texas Arlington, suggest that incorporating intergenerational storytelling from a medical standpoint can combat these feelings and encourage communication and shared experiences across age groups (Whear et al.). Involving younger generations in the storytelling process gives patients the opportunity to share their life stories with children and grandchildren, strengthening familial bonds and reducing isolation. This interaction can be therapeutic as it allows the patients to engage in meaningful conversations, relive positive memories, and share wisdom from throughout their lives. Storytelling becomes a tool for emotional healing, promoting a sense of purpose and continuity in patients' lives, despite their memory loss.

Moreover, this art form can assist memory preservation of specific cultures: indigenous communities oftentimes use oral tradition as a means of sharing experiences across multiple generations. For example, the Maori of New Zealand have historically relied on storytelling to pass down past events, genealogies, and wisdom from generation to generation. There is a Maori concept called whakapapa, or genealogy, which is an essential element of their storytelling since it links individuals to their heritage and the natural world. The tradition is deeply ritualized, giving the kaumatua (elders) the leading role in sharing these stories with younger generations. Though storytelling can sometimes be misinterpreted as entertainment, these stories were told to spread insight and form a collective memory of the current people and their ancestors, their lands, and their beliefs (Binney). As with many indigenous practices, the Maori have recently faced the pressures of globalization and cultural erosion because of subjective histories and the incomparable information between “the voices of the colonized” and “the observations and reports of those who were the colonizers” (Binney). Therefore, an extensive effort to preserve these oral traditions through digital media is being made. Ashlee Cunsolo Willox is a recognized health geographer, overseeing the campus at Acadia University and at Labrador Campus and School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies at Memorial University, who performed a study about the blend of digital platforms with cultural traditions and its effects. She found that communities in northern Labrador have already started adapting this process of merging traditional oral practices with modern technology to engage and encourage younger generations to learn about their ancestors and preserve indigenous knowledge about critical issues such as climate change (Willox). The integration of new technology into traditional storytelling methods allows the Maori and other indigenous tribes to protect their cultural narratives from being overpowered and ensure that they are catered to younger audiences, who may be more familiar with digital media than oral storytelling, strengthening community ties and cultural identity.

The continuously mentioned idea of intergenerational transfer of memory and identity is one of the many effects of storytelling and one that connects the two seemingly unrelated groups of society. Alzheimer's patients and indigenous tribes may exist within different societal, cultural, and medical contexts, but both rely on storytelling to find and preserve identity, legacies, and emotional resilience across multiple generations. The kaumatua in Maori culture and the grandparents or great-grandparents with Alzheimer’s bear valuable life narratives that can be shared with younger generations as a way to pass on heritage. In this way, the elders of both groups can strengthen familial ties, allowing Alzheimer’s patients’ memories to outlive the cognitive decline they are experiencing (Whear et al.) and indigenous communities to help their memories thrive against the erasure they experienced in the past (Saxena). Vandana Saxena, a senior lecturer in the Department of English at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in University of Malaya, performed a study to show how storytelling engages readers emotionally, preserving memories of historical trauma and creating a bond of understanding across generations. Though this study focuses on a separate group of society (the Holocaust survivors), it continues to demonstrate how participants of the study were able to use storytelling in young adult Holocaust fiction to connect firsthand experiences to moral lessons, giving younger generations the opportunity to relive historical realities through their narratives and helping the survivors bond with those around them in order to work through their past hardships. As stated before, this strengthening of bonds is only made more efficient and effective through digital platforms that serve as tools for preservation and engagement. Video storytelling, digital archives, and social media are only some of the ways that technology has been increasingly utilized to document narratives in accessible ways. By creating a sense of permanence in Alzheimer’s patients’ memories of others and functioning as a cultural survival mechanism vital to identity and community cohesion (Willox), both groups share a dependence on storytelling, sometimes through digital methods, as the act of passing down these stories helped them reaffirm that their identity and wisdom were not lost but rather carried into the next generation.

However, some critics argue that digital storytelling and reminiscence therapy are not always universally effective for all patients, particularly those in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. They state that as patients' cognitive functions decline, they may struggle to engage with digital platforms or recall the stories they have shared. After all, a group of researchers, including previously mentioned Woods, from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group note that “the process of recalling memories from the past may bring about difficult or emotional memories,” making the experience frustrating or ineffective (Woods et al.). While this is a valid concern, it is important to recognize that even in the later stages of dementia, storytelling can still provide emotional comfort. Research conducted by Dr. Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, a neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, shows that emotional memory, such as feelings of joy or sadness, “persist well beyond the patients’ memory for the events that originally caused the emotion” (Guzmán-Vélez et al.). Therefore, even if patients are unable to fully engage with digital storytelling in a cognitive sense, the emotional resonance of the process can still be beneficial. Moreover, programs that involve trained volunteers or family members to assist patients in sharing their stories may mitigate some of the challenges associated with cognitive decline, ensuring that patients can still participate in the storytelling process in a meaningful way. 

In conclusion, storytelling is an invaluable tool for memory preservation and emotional well-being, particularly for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease and cultural erasure of Indigenous traditions. Storytelling’s effect on society was looked at through two different lenses (Alzheimer’s patients and Indigenous communities) and its connection to two shared outcomes (preservation of identity and connection across generations). Medically, storytelling and reminiscence therapy provide cognitive stimulation, evoke emotional responses, and strengthen personal identity for patients dealing with memory loss. Culturally, storytelling passes down knowledge, identity, and values, using oral traditions to keep ancestral wisdom alive and relevant to link the past with the present. The overall effects reported by participants in referenced studies were a restored sense of identity and a strengthened bond between generations and others around them. They both use technology as a means to make the act of storytelling and the stories told more accessible for the older and the younger population. As cultures evolve and memory-related illnesses rise, storytelling becomes more than just a tradition. It becomes a bridge that connects generations, safeguards identity, and brings healing to those navigating memory loss. Keeping it alive is important now more than ever as it plays a crucial role in maintaining both personal and collective histories.

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