At Barb City Manor, the excitement doesn’t end when a session with Northern Illinois University students is over. Residents approach staff in the hallways to show off their homework or share stories about their latest conversations with a student.
For Anne Cheladyn, associate director of Barb City Manor, those moments capture the impact of The Power of Your Story, a program led by Jamie Mayer, professor of Speech-Language Pathology, NIU School of Clinical and Developmental Sciences. The program pairs students from NIU’s Music and Memory organization with residents to document their life stories, preserving memories and experiences in printed books they can share with loved ones.
“Our residents adore Dr. Jamie and her students!” Cheladyn said. “Hearing everyone fully engaged in conversation and laughing tells me they are not only learning, they are having fun doing it.”
Building on a three-year partnership between Mayer and Barb City Manor, the program gives NIU students an opportunity to connect with residents while learning from their experiences.
For student Michelle Buntrock, those conversations have offered a powerful reminder of what matters most in life.
“I truly believe that being part of someone’s last chapter in life is an honor,” Buntrock said. “What a privilege it is to hear history straight from the person who lived through it.”
Listening to residents reflect on their lives has also shifted Buntrock’s perspective on success and happiness.
“Not one person has mentioned their weight from their younger years, not the type of car they drove, and not even the houses or property they owned,” she said. “What they talk about mostly are experiences they hold dear to their heart.”
Instead, residents share memories of their children, pets, favorite foods, hobbies and travels. One topic, in particular, seems to bring them special joy: dancing.
“You can see the joy in their faces, and it warms my heart knowing it brought back some good feelings,” Buntrock said.
Mayer said the experience helps students apply classroom lessons about aging while developing communication skills and challenging assumptions about older adults.
“It’s one thing to learn about the life course and aging in a classroom, but what better way to learn than in real time from the person going through it?” Mayer said.
The conversations have uncovered remarkable pieces of personal history. One 92-year-old resident brought a handwritten autobiography she had written in 1950, while another shared memories of attending school in a one-room schoolhouse. Others have contributed photographs, artwork and
newspaper clippings to help illustrate their stories.
Students use the Life Bio Memory app to record interviews throughout the semester. The app uses artificial intelligence to turn the recordings into written narratives, which students can supplement with scanned photographs and other keepsakes. At the end of the semester, each participating resident will receive a printed book of their story.
Mayer hopes the experience will stay with students long after they graduate from NIU, giving them a deeper understanding of aging and the value of connecting with others across generations.
For Buntrock, the lessons are already clear. Each conversation offers a chance to learn from another generation and discover the lasting value of simply listening.
