BioPoem

Discover the person behind the name with BioPoems, a guided interview-to-poem activity for organizations. Includes 15 printed 4 × 6-inch poem cards and online access to the 14-question interview and matching poem worksheets, with permission to print and copy them for use within your organization. Invite conversation, share surprising discoveries, and learn about each person’s needs, interests, and preferences.

$12.90

BioPoem

Description

Simple Questions. Surprising Discoveries.

A favorite song. An unexpected talent. Something someone hopes to see more of in the world. BioPoems brings these details together in a short, structured poem that introduces the person behind the name. Thoughtful questions invite enlightening, sometimes funny responses, while the fill-in format makes creating a poem approachable—without having to compose one from scratch. Ellie teaches this activity during early training and the Brilliant Minds Symposium. Participants regularly ask for a copy afterward. This kit makes it available for organizations to use with the people they serve.

How the Activity Unfolds

1. Complete the Interview

Each participant responds to 14 questions about their qualities, experiences, interests, relationships, needs, and hopes. They can complete the worksheet independently or have another person ask the questions and record their responses.

2. Build the Poem

Transfer the answers into the matching numbered spaces on the poem sheet. The structure brings individual responses together into a personal portrait.

3. Share It Aloud

Invite participants to read their poems themselves or have a partner read for them. Share with a partner or the group, allowing each person to choose what they feel comfortable sharing.

4. Create the Card

Copy the finished poem onto a 4 × 6-inch BioPoem card. Use it in a self-portrait, an album, or another place the participant chooses.

Get to Know the Person

BioPoems gives teams an engaging way to discover information that can inform everyday care and activity planning. Use the activity when welcoming a new participant or resident, during enrollment conversations, or as part of an annual person-centered care-planning conversation. Responses can reveal:

Activities, music, and experiences someone enjoys.
Personal qualities and contributions they value.
Needs, concerns, and preferences they want others to understand.
Hopes and interests that suggest new opportunities for engagement.

The poem offers a conversation starter and a personal perspective to complement your organization’s assessment and care-planning processes.

Give the Poem a Place in Your Community

BioPoem cards can become part of a Brilliant Minds Symposium self-portrait or a page in a Legacy Chronicles display or scrapbook album. Organizations can also use them on member lockers, in participant or resident records, or on room doors. Let each person help choose where their poem belongs, and obtain permission before displaying personal information.

Personal Expression Without the Pressure

Participants bring the content; the poem provides the structure. There is no need to rhyme, perform, or produce a particular kind of response. Welcome humor, unexpected discoveries, and individual choices. Offer help with writing or reading, and allow participants to skip anything they prefer not to share.

What's Included

15 Printed BioPoem Cards

Fifteen 4 × 6-inch cards for recording completed poems and incorporating them into personal displays, albums, and community settings.

Virtual Access to the Worksheet Set

My Interview: A 14-question worksheet exploring personal qualities, experiences, interests, needs, and hopes.
My Bio Poem: A structured poem sheet with numbered blanks corresponding to the interview answers.

The worksheets are accessed online and printed by your organization.

Resilia Life Membership and Worksheet License

Your purchase includes Resilia Life membership associated with this resource and permission to print and copy the interview and poem worksheets for use within your purchasing organization.

The pack contains 15 physical cards; the worksheet license allows your organization to print additional worksheet sets for repeated use.

How To Do

1. Interview

Give each participant the 14-question interview worksheet. They can answer independently or work with a partner who asks the questions and records their responses.

2. Create the Poem

Transfer the answers into the matching numbered blanks on the poem worksheet. Personal qualities, experiences, interests, and hopes become a poem—without having to write one from scratch.

3. Read and Discover

Invite each participant to read their poem aloud or ask a partner to read it. Share in pairs or with the group, welcoming the discoveries, humor, and conversations that follow. Participants choose what they wish to share.

4. Make the Card

Copy the completed poem onto a 4 × 6-inch BioPoem card. Incorporate it into a self-portrait or Legacy Chronicles album, keep it in the person’s record, or display it in your community with their permission.

Who It's For

BioPoems is designed for organizations, including adult day centers, senior centers, senior living communities, and memory care programs.

Activity professionals, care teams, and enrollment staff can use it to welcome new participants, introduce group members, and learn about individual needs, interests, and preferences. It also provides a creative starting point for annual care-planning conversations.

Offer support with interviewing, writing, or reading according to each person’s abilities and comfort.

For families: The BioPoem activity is available within Legacy Chronicles.