Effect of Reminiscence Therapy on Older Adults
Condition: Nurse's Role
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study was conducted to examine the effect of reminiscence therapy on the functionality
      of older adults aged 65 and over living in nursing homes.
    

Detailed description: 
      ABSTRACT Objective : This study was conducted to examine the effect of reminiscence therapy
      on the level of functionality of individuals aged 65 and over.

      Method: The sample of the study consisted of 16 residents who lived in a public nursing home
      between December 2019 and February 2020 and agreed to participate in the study. Participants
      were divided into intervention and control groups using the simple random sampling method.
      Reminiscence therapy was performed with each participant in the intervention group for 8
      weeks. The participants in the control group received routine services and were regularly
      visited for 8 weeks. The research data were obtained by implementing the "Personal
      Information Form," "Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES), and
      "Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)" with all participants before the reminiscence therapy
      and at the end of week eight. Non-parametric tests were completed in analyzing the data as
      the sample size was lower than 30.

      Findings: It was determined that 87.5% of the participants in the intervention group had a
      chronic disease, 50% were male, and 37.5% were elementary school graduates. All the
      participants in the control group had a chronic disease, 62.5% were male, and 50% were
      elementary school graduates. When the pre- and post-reminiscence therapy results were
      compared, a significant difference was found in the MMSE and MOSES (in the areas of
      disoriented behavior, depressed/anxious mood, and withdrawn behavior) scores in the
      intervention group. In the post-test evaluation, a significant difference was found between
      the intervention and comparison group in MOSES scores. It was determined that the
      participants in the intervention group that received reminiscence therapy had better
      functional and cognitive competency than the control group in the areas of self-care,
      depression/anxiety, and withdrawal from society.

      Conclusion: It was concluded that the reminiscence therapy contributed to increase the mental
      competence and functionality of the older adult participants.
    

Intervention name(s): The Reminisence Therapy
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Reminiscence sessions were held in a meeting room in the nursing home and arranged in accordance with the interviews. In the reminiscence sessions, mnemonic materials selected specifically for the determined interview topic were used. The materials to be used in the reminiscence sessions were determined in accordance with the education level and cultural characteristics of the participants. In the sessions, topics such as childhood life, work life, religious holidays, national holidays, old songs, military ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, gardening and field work were shared. In the reminiscence sessions, the participants were encouraged to verbally express the feelings and thoughts they remembered about the mnemonics. The interviews were recorded by the researcher and each session lasted 45-60 minutes. At the end of the reminiscence session, the topics addressed in the session were summarized by the researcher, the following weeks topic was determined and the interview was concluded.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: The study was conducted as the randomized controlled experimental trial.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: reminiscence therapy; functionality; nursing; older adults; care