On Oct. 19th, 2016 the C.IAS Graz could welcome Guest Lecturer Dr. Gary Kenyon of the Department of Gerontology, St. Thomas University, Canada. His presentation “Storying Later Life” explored the theory of ‘Narrative Gerontology’, and was followed by a Tai Chi workshop connecting it to his latest publication Pathways to Stillness, creating an interdisciplinary link between Aging Studies and the practical applications of gerontology in everyday life.
Gary Kenyon and fellow St. Thomas gerontologist William Randall along with Dutch researchers in the field coined the term ‘Narrative Gerontology’ and developed the theory that puts the biographical, rather than the biological components of aging at its center, and thus attempts to make an individual’s ‘life story’, the personal experience of aging more readily accessible.
Gary Kenyon views ‘Narrative Care’ as not just a theoretical construct, but implements it as a practical tool into the care strategies of nursing homes and assisted living, as well as therapy approaches and treatments of clinical depression, PTSD, and couples therapy.