The Ten Stories

Name: The Ten Stories
Price: 59.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781487561536

What Aging Parents Want Us to Hear

Mary Ann McColl

$59.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Miscellaneous
23 September 2026

Society & Social Sciences; Sociology: family & relationships; Psychology of ageing; Popular medicine & health; Home nursing & caring; Intergenerational relationships

Out of the countless experiences in a lifetime, why are certain narratives chosen, repeated, and preserved by aging individuals?

The Ten Stories suggests that most elderly people return to a core set of approximately ten stories as they reflect on their lives. The significance of those narratives lies not in their factual details, but in the values and meanings they convey. Most stories told are set during late adolescence and early adulthood

often eight or nine out of ten originate during this period. The stories are also audience-specific, as they are shaped by the relationship between teller and listener. The book explores how stories told by mothers are different than those told by fathers; how stories told to sons differ from those told to daughters; and how the stories of immigrant parents differ from non-immigrants.

Social scientist and health policy researcher Mary Ann McColl provides insight into what older adults may be expressing through repeated stories. She shares twenty recurring themes emerging from the stories

such as overcoming obstacles, showing kindness, regrets and resentments, and standing up for what's right

that represent an opportunity for connection and understanding, rather than a source of frustration. This book offers practical strategies for listening more effectively and appreciating those narratives as intentional, meaningful acts of communication.

By: Mary Ann McColl
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9781487561536
ISBN 10: 1487561539
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 23 September 2026
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

List of Tables and Figures Foreword Dedication and Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Introduction to the Ten Stories 2. Background Part I: Themes in the Ten Stories 3. Reconciling Identity 4. Entertaining Others 5. Informing or Instructing 6. Reconciling Conflicts 7. Keeping Memories Alive 8. Patterns in the Ten Stories Part II: Listening for the Ten Stories 9. What Can We Learn from the Ten Stories? 10. Listening for the Ten Stories Recommended Reading References Appendix

Mary Ann McColl is a professor emerita of occupational therapy and senior scientist with the Health Services and Policy Research Institute at Queen’s University. Based on a career of research in disability studies, spirituality, and occupational therapy, McColl is the author of many books including Theoretical Basis of Occupational Therapy (4th ed.), Appreciative Disability Studies, and Spirituality and Occupational Therapy (2nd ed.).