My Life, My Legacy

Paula Wagner, Ph.D., has developed a storytelling interview and video process for older adults that is part biographical and part legacy work. It is a carefully crafted process that helps the older adult review aspects of his or her life in a very positive and supportive environment. Paula’s professional background enhances her ability to guide each older adult through this experience with sensitivity, respect and admiration. After spending the better part of a day interviewing and videotaping an elder, Ms. Wagner then refines the video and presents the elder and their family with a DVD of the experience that will remain a part of that elder’s legacy forever, and will be handed down, from generation to generation.

We propose to provide this storytelling experience to 6 Barclay Friends residents and 6 West Chester Senior Center members, over the course of 12 months. Our hope is that, through this shared experience, connections between our Community and the Senior Center will be created. Senior Center members will be individually invited to Barclay Friends to spend the day: talking with Ms. Wagner, engaging in the interview and videotaping process and enjoying lunch and programming with our residents. Additionally, 6 Barclay Friends residents will have the opportunity to tell their story to Ms. Wagner and have a videotape of their life and their legacy created. Throughout the process, we will explore how we might sustain this effort in the coming years, either through additional grants and/or through efforts to train other staff members at Barclay Friends and the West Chester Senior Center so that future residents and Senior Center members can participate in My Life, My Legacy. We will also work towards incorporating portions of the videos in New Employee Orientation at Barclay Friends as part of our ongoing efforts to fully actualize person-centered care.

Affiliate Grants


As part of the Impacting Lives Engaging Communities Initiative Kendal Charitable Funds also provides grants within the Kendal System to Kendal affiliates to engage, partner with and support their efforts in the wider community around aging issues.