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Background: Life Story Work (LSW) argues that listening to patients’ life stories provides individualized knowledge based upon the patients’ values and understanding of their lives. This facilitates the provision of care that respects the personhood of the recipient. Aim: To describe the experiences of a group of healthcare workers (HCW) in applying Life Story Work in nursing practice. Method: LSW was implemented at a Norwegian nursing home to examine whether a partnership between patient and HCW could emerge which would facilitate the provision of individualized and specific patient care. Data were collected from interviews conducted with eight HCWs and analyzed for thematic content. Results: Integrating LSW into care was not time-consuming. The participants described new insights and increased engagement with their patients and a strengthened relationship leading to new caring interventions. The main difficulty encountered by the HCWs was listening to sad memories, even though the patients themselves welcomed the opportunity to talk about such experiences. Conclusion: LSW was incorporated into the work at the unit, allowing the individuality of each resident to be seen; strengthening the relationship between them and the HCW. For the HCW such an intervention can provide new meaning and satisfaction in their work.

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