The impact of individual reminiscence therapy for people with dementia: systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review aims to review the potential psychosocial benefits of individual reminiscence therapy for people with dementia. Five randomized controlled trials were identified. All were carried out in nursing or care homes, and several different approaches were represented. The studies reported some immediate and longer-term psychosocial benefits to people with dementia of individual reminiscence work, where this involved a life review process or personalized, specific reminiscence work. These benefits included mood, well-being and aspects of cognitive function. There was no evidence that the use of general reminiscence materials was associated with psychosocial benefits. The use of life story books and multimedia alternatives, with or without an associated life review process, does appear to be worth pursuing from both clinical and research perspectives.

Psychosocial interventions for people with dementia: An overview and commentary on recent developments

“…Two further reviews of specific areas yielded firmer conclusions: That multicomponent behavioural interventions and bright light therapy for sleep led to improved sleep quality (Salami, Lyketsos & Rao, 2002) and that cognitive stimulation had cognitive and wider psychosocial benefits (Woods et al, 2012). Carrion et al's (2015) review found that cognitive interventions such as reality orientation had significant positive effects on cognitive functioning in six of the nine studies reviewed and two studies found a positive impact of cognitive interventions on depression.…”

Behavior and Emotion in Dementia

“…With regard to the results obtained on autobiographical memory after reminiscence intervention and life review procedure, results suggest that people with dementia who attend reminiscence sessions improve their autobiographical memory [85,99,100], being observed improvements in recalling both facts and events, that is, in semantic memory and episodic memory.…”

Reminiscence therapy: development of a program for institutionalized older people with cognitive impairment

“…Literature describes the privileged role of non-pharmacological interventions in multidimensional models, by integrating the cognitive, functional, behavioral, and affective dimensions. In fact, the significant impact, effectiveness, and health gains obtained through the implementation of structured reminiscence therapy (RT) programs in older people with cognitive impairment are particularly relevant, namely decreased disorientation and depression, and improved well-being and cognitive function (Bohlmeijer, Roemer, Cuijpers, & Smit, 2007;Subramaniam & Woods, 2012;Webster, Bolhmeijer, & Westerhof, 2010). Evidence shows that RT is an important therapeutic strategy for the empowerment of people with NCDs, providing moments of pleasure with dignity and a purpose in life.…”

“…RT is a cognitive stimulation technique used to recall old memories with the purpose of triggering past experiences. To this end, RT uses old materials (newspapers, household utensils, photos, songs) to stimulate memory and allow them to share and value their experiences (Subramaniam & Woods, 2012;Webster et al, 2010). At an international level, the process of development and validation of RT programs used in controlled studies is not always clearly described, which is a potential methodological limitation that may explain the inconsistent results found in different studies on the effectiveness of RT programs (Bohlmeijer et al, 2007;Cotelli, Manenti, & Zanetti, 2012;Stinson, 2009).…”