AUBURN - To Lee-Ellen Marvin, the telling of a tale is a spot of sunshine.

That was one of the Ithaca resident's focuses in her presentation “Caring for Aging Parents: Sharing the Journey,” held Tuesday night at Auburn Memorial Hospital.

Marvin, a storyteller and folklorist, shared personal experiences and techniques for helping the elderly tell stories about their life experiences.

Marvin, who teaches storytelling courses at Ithaca College, said she discovered the power of stories #- and their helpfulness to older people #- when she began as a folklorist in the late 1970s.

“As a fluke, someone suggested that I come to the Gerontology Institute at Ithaca College. That was when I began to explore the importance of storytelling for elders,” she said.

“I was drawn into this world of finding a way to capture stories from people, and encouraging everyone to pay attention to the stories that are being told in our families,” she added.

“Stories store experiences in a way that allows us to get back to them.”

The audience was also treated to a few of the stories from Marvin's repertoire. The tales, which originated as Indian folklore, saw a world-weary traveler lose his donkey and an elderly couple argue over magic clothes.

Martin said she likes to use stories from India because of familial storytelling traditions there. In that country, she said, the grandparents are expected to tell tales that they pass on to younger generations.

This oral tradition, much like that of Native Americans, is an essential part of the family structure, she said.

“It's a dream of mine to create a program where elders come together in rural counties and communities to share their stories. Those stories could then be recorded and transcribed and put into a book or on a Web site,” she said.

Following Marvin's presentation, the Cayuga County Office for the Aging discussed networking among those interested in storytelling.