Life Legacy Program

Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine offers two ways for clients to create a Life Legacy Document to share with family and friends. In both options, a trained volunteer visits the client at home to record interviews, which are then transcribed and edited to create a printed legacy document. Clients may choose between Dignity Therapy or Life Story.

Dignity Therapy supports people living with serious or life-limiting illness to reflect on their lives and create a written Legacy Document for their loved ones. It helps clients affirm that their life has had meaning, recognise the experiences that make them unique, and leave behind a lasting gift of love, memories, and wisdom. Usually completed over one or two interviews using a semi-structured framework of 10 guiding questions, this process strengthens family connections and provides comfort that endures for generations.

Life Story invites people to share their journey in greater depth, across up to four interviews. Unlike Dignity Therapy, it focuses on factual recall, capturing the key events, milestones, and memories that have shaped a person’s life. The result is a rich and enduring record to be shared with loved ones.