The 21 questions developed to open the conversation between people and their older loved ones. People’s past experiences, current interests and future wishes are still as relevant in later life as they ever have been and it’s really important to continue to reinforce that through having meaningful conversations.” But our entire lives shape who we are, particularly our childhood and early life experiences, so finding out about these stories can really increase our closeness and strengthen relationships.”Įmma Hewat, Head of Dementia at KYN said: “In later life, sadly it’s quite common to lose sight of people’s identity and only focus on their age or the condition of their health. Honey said: “Often when we think about older friends and family in our lives, we tend to only think about the part of them that has played a specific role in our lives. KYN has worked with psychologist Honey Langcaster-James, to develop 21 questions to ask someone about their life. The research was commissioned by KYN to highlight the importance of getting to know older people as the person they were and the person they are today, and to help families open up before it’s too late. Over half of those questioned said they feel remorse about not getting to know them better, while 39% said these relationships deteriorated in later life because they stopped spending the time to have meaningful conversations. A poll of 2,000 UK adults who have lost a loved one in the last 10 years found nearly nine in 10 wish they had found out more about their lives.Īccording to the findings, only a third of people know where their older loved one grew up, or what school they went to, and just 23% knew what their hobbies were when they were younger.

66% of Brits who’ve lost older loved ones wish they had more meaningful conversations together to understand the ‘real them’.

1 is one by tasha tudor