How can a life story service for seniors benefit your family?

A life story service for seniors, like Elsy, can give your family a picture of the experiences that shaped your life. You tell Elsy about a time in your life, and after the conversation she writes it down as a story with your own words as quotes. Once you send a story to your family, they can read it and listen to it, even when you're not together.

There are parts of your life your children and grandchildren weren't there for. A life story service for seniors, like Elsy, helps you put those stories into words and share them with your family.

What is a life story service for seniors?

It's a service that helps you collect the stories from your life and share them with your family. With Elsy, you do it by talking. What you tell her is written down as life stories you can send to the people closest to you.

How does it work?

You tell Elsy about something from your life. After the conversation, she writes it down as a story with your own words as quotes and a picture painted by Elsy. You can read the story, or listen to Elsy tell it with short excerpts of your own voice from the conversation. When you send it to your family, they can read it and listen to it too. See more about life stories with Elsy.

Benefits for your family

Your stories tell your family where they come from: how you grew up and what your working life was like. Your family can come back to the stories you send them as often as they like, even when you're not together.

A closer family

A story you send can start a conversation the next time you talk on the phone or see each other, and your family may learn things they never thought to ask about. Researchers at Emory University in the US found that when children and teenagers know their family's history, they tend to have higher self-esteem and fewer behavior problems, and their families tend to be more close-knit.

Telling your life story with Elsy

Tap Talk to Elsy and start with whatever comes to mind, like a summer from your childhood. After the conversation, Elsy writes your stories down, ready to send to your family. You can talk about today in the same conversations, since Elsy also sets up reminders for appointments and medicines. You can see it all in how Elsy works.

How to get started

Download Elsy from the App Store or Google Play, tap Talk to Elsy and tell her about your past. You can try Elsy free for 3 days on your own phone. After the conversation, Elsy writes a story your children and grandchildren can read once you send it to them. See how Elsy works step by step.

Privacy and security with Elsy

Your conversations are recorded and stored securely so Elsy can remember what you tell her and write your stories. Your stored data is hosted in the EU, and what you say is processed by AI services in the United States so Elsy can hear you, answer and remember. We never sell your personal data or use it to train general-purpose AI models.

Everyone in Your circle can read the stories you send them. Your family never sees transcripts or recordings of your conversations, apart from the life stories you send, which contain your own words and may include short excerpts of your voice. What else they can see depends on their level, from Stories only to Full trust, where they also see what Elsy remembers about you. If a family member set Elsy up and gave consent on your behalf, everyone in your circle is at Full trust. Read more about what your family can see.

Examples of life stories

A story can be about anything you remember, like the summers of your childhood or your first day at work. You can start with one simple sentence, like "I want to tell you about my first day as an apprentice."

Childhood memories

Childhood is a good place to start. Tell Elsy about the street you grew up on, your school or a friend you haven't thought about in years. Those stories show your family how you grew up, in a time most of them never saw.

What does research say about telling your life story?

Telling someone your life story is a social activity, and it gets you thinking. The US National Institute on Aging says that staying connected with family, friends and neighbors may help support your cognitive function. In a long-term US study of more than 7,000 people aged 65 and older, high social engagement, like visiting neighbors and doing volunteer work, was linked to better cognitive health later in life.

Looking back on your life

Telling and hearing life stories can help keep your mind active, and looking back can also feel good. Researchers pooled the results of 128 studies of programs in which older adults look back on and talk about their lives, and found small to moderate improvements, including in well-being and in people's sense that their life has had meaning. Elsy's life stories are not a treatment, and they're not an aid for memory loss. They're your stories, written down.

Frequently asked questions

How does a life story service help my family?

It gives your family the stories of your past in your own words, so they understand more about what shaped your life. That can bring a family closer together.

Can my family see my stories?

Yes, once you send them. Your family can then read each story, listen to it and hear about your experiences in your own words. If you'd rather not send each story yourself, you can turn on Send new stories to family automatically.

What happens to what I tell Elsy?

Your conversations and stories are stored securely, and your stored data is hosted in the EU. What you say is processed by AI services in the United States so Elsy can hear you, answer and remember, and we never sell your personal data. Your family never sees transcripts or recordings of your conversations, apart from the stories you send them, which contain your own words and may include short excerpts of your voice. What else they see depends on their level in Your circle, and at the highest level, Full trust, they also see what Elsy remembers about you. If a family member set Elsy up and gave consent on your behalf, everyone in your circle is at Full trust. Read more in our privacy policy.

How do I get started with Elsy?

Download the app from the App Store or Google Play and tap Talk to Elsy. You can try Elsy free for 3 days on your own phone, and you can start telling your life stories right away.

This is general information, not medical advice. Every situation is different, so talk to a doctor about yours.