There’s an innovative program at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Center on Age and Community for people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s called TimeSlips. Begun in 1996 by Anne Basting, the program uses improvisation and storytelling to help people express themselves and connect with others.

The website says, “TimeSlips opens storytelling to everyone by replacing the pressure to remember with the freedom to imagine.” It seems to me that all sorts of storytellers, writers and educators would benefit from their methods and creative storytelling prompts.

You can try it out on their website. First you choose an image and prompt and then tell or write. Here are a few examples:

What should we name him? . . . Tell a Story

What's so funny? . . . Tell a Story

What's going on here? . . . Tell a Story

You can read some of the stories, from short phrases to elaborate and funny poems to disturbing interpretations, at the “browse stories” tab.

They offer training for individuals, classrooms and organizations and you can apply for certification as a TimeSlips Trainer. And they have great pictures on their website:

Her name might be Gloria Jean. She looks happy.

Did you know that there was a Mind-Alert Award presented by The American Society on Aging (ASA) and the MetLife Foundation?

According to Aging Today, the program “recognizes replicable research-based programs, products or tools that promote cognitive fitness in later life in three categories: educational programs that enhance mental fitness for older adults in the general population, programs designed for cognitively impaired elders and lifelong learning programs with an implicit element of mental fitness.”

One winner was TimeSlips, “a creative storytelling method that helps people with dementia reaffirm their humanity and connect with staff, family and friends.” TimeSlips encourages people to cultivate their imaginations and it has been found to improve verbal skills.  The stories that emerge ”are rich in humor and poetic images, and provide a window into the experience of living with dementia.”

Lifehacker lists the Top Ten Tricks and Tools to Exercise and Better Your Brain and number five is Tell Yourself Stories.

First of all, it makes things easier to remember because it puts what you want to remember in a more compelling framework. It gives you a chance to focus on important details and associate emotion with what you’re trying to remember. Even if you’re not telling yourself a story to help retain the information, you’ll still improve your memory just by telling stories in general.

About.com even has a long list of tips for telling stories To Strengthen Relationships and Exercise Your Brain (see details at their website):