Creating individualised activities in partnership with people who have moderate dementia and their partners at home has rarely been achieved, as such interventions are usually pre-planned by researchers or professionals. The academic gap is in the activity design being led by the person who has dementia and their partner and how to engage them in a meaningful manner which rekindles positive joint memories and improves the quality of their current relationship. This article explores the meaning and significance of recalling shared holiday memories for people living with moderate dementia and their partners, using multisensory reminiscence. A sensory ethnography research methodology was employed which enhanced co-design of the activity over five home visits. The research culminated in the creation of a digital story, sharing of food and drink, and re-enactment through exploration of their holiday memorabilia: forming their suitcase of memories (SOM). The study extends the current academic debate of co-produced interventions and identifies the critical themes of ‘holidays as life’, ‘freedom’, ‘view seen, viewpoint heard’ and ‘strengthened self-identity with younger self’ which emerged from the research. Such areas of sensory reminiscence have supported positive recollections, discourse and, when combined, resulted in a beneficial impact on the partner's shared relationship. A significant research outcome was the transition from a negative life view dominated by dementia to rekindling their relationship positively as a result of the SOM intervention and sensory methodology. Future research to continue the work with new couples to see if similar results are achieved with more case studies is needed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of simplified reminiscence practice using olfactory stimuli on depression and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Accordingly, 61 individuals were randomly divided into two groups. In the intervention group, 12 sessions of reminiscence were performed using olfactory cards. In the control group, reminiscence sessions were similarly performed, but with language cards. The Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) was used to measure mental health status and the Five Cognitive Test was used to measure cognitive function at baseline and after completion of the intervention. The final sample included 27 participants in the intervention group and 23 participants in the control group. Basic characteristics of the participants at baseline were compared and a significant difference was observed between the two groups in age (p = 0.029). Repeated-measures analysis of covariance with age as the covariate revealed a significant interaction between time and group on the GDS-15 (p = 0.04). Furthermore, a before and after comparison using a paired t-test showed a significant difference only in the intervention group (p = 0.01). The results of this study suggest that simplified reminiscence practice using olfactory cards could serve as an intervention to help maintain the mental health of community-dwelling older adults.

This study adopted mixed-methods research to explore the effects of reminiscing about nostalgic smells on the physiological and psychological responses of older people in long-term care facilities. A total of 60 participants were randomly divided into two groups and each participant was either interviewed regarding their reminiscence about nostalgic smells (experimental group) or were engaged in daily conversation (control group). The results indicated that anxiety and depression symptoms were more effectively relieved in the experimental group than in the control group. Moreover, most of the nostalgic smells recalled by the experimental group were associated with naturally occurring smells. Regarding heart rate variability, the normalised low-frequency of the experimental group decreased significantly. The results verified the utility of using reminiscence about olfactory memories in reminiscence therapy as this can calm anxiety and lessen depression, which can be very important for older adults living in long-term care facilities.

Digital storytelling provides older adults with an opportunity to become digital producers, connect with others through story and explore their life history. The authors report on the results of a digital storytelling project for older adults. The study investigated the experiences and perceived benefits of older adults who created digital stories during a ten-week course and explored the reactions of story viewers to the digital stories they viewed during a special sharing event. Eighty-eight older adult participants in Metro Vancouver who attended one of 13 courses offered were included in the study. Most of the participants were female and over half were immigrants. Results from the focus group interviews demonstrated a rich array of reported social and emotional benefits experienced through the process of creating a digital story within the course. Three main themes emerged: social connectedness through shared experience and story, reminiscence and reflecting on life, and creating a legacy. Viewers who attended a ‘Sharing Our Stories’ event reported that the stories were meaningful, well constructed and invoked a range of emotions. The researchers conclude that digital storytelling may help digital storytellers increase connectedness to others and to self. Additionally, this connectedness may extend over time through the process of examining the past to create a digital story that can serve as a legacy to connect to future generations.

This study explores the social construction of agency and wellbeing among 20 Chinese urban retirees aged between 50 and 82 years old (averaging 67), with a special focus on the impact of earlier life experiences in shaping later-life pathways. Today's retirees in urban China have experienced the communist collectivist ideology during the Mao era as well as the changes to everyday life brought about by the economic transformation from centrally planned socialism to a market-orientated economy. Thereby, life in retirement for Chinese elders becomes more than just an issue of dealing with increases in discretionary time after exit from full-time work, but also one of making sense of their earlier life experiences in the midst of dramatic social changes. A grounded theory approach with semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews was used for data collection and analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged: (a) reminiscence as a mechanism of meaning-making, (b) discovery and exercise of agency in later life in contrast to a rigidly structured earlier life, and (c) varying pathways to constructing the life-stage of retirement. The findings have refuted gerontological literature and public discourse that often portray Chinese elders as passive care recipients or helpless dependants. Further, the present study has practical implications for developing policies, designing programmes and providing services to improve the quality of life for today's older Chinese people.

This article presents a study that directly replicated the recently developed Balanced Time Perspective Scale (BTPS; J.D. Webster, 2011) and included middle-aged and older adults. Participants included 90 younger, 69 middle-aged, and 69 older adults who completed the BTPS and a measure of life satisfaction and happiness. A factor analysis replicated original findings with separate subscales for a past orientation and a future orientation obtaining simple structure (alphas = .94 and .95 respectively). A balanced time perspective predicted higher scores on both measures of well-being replicating the original J.D. Webster (2011) findings. A chi-square analysis indicated, as predicted, that the percentage of younger adults tended to be higher in the future-focused category, and the percentage of older adults tended to be higher in the past-focused category. Implications of a balanced time perspective on mental health over the life course are discussed.

Background: In mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), a deficit in episodic memory, particularly autobiographical memory, is clearly established. Several recent studies have also shown impaired semantic memory from the onset of the disease. Musical memory capacities may be especially preserved and listening to music might encourage autobiographical recall. The aim of this study was to explore recall of popular songs in AD.

Methods: We tested 12 patients with mild AD and 12 control subjects. We created a tool made up of old French popular songs: POP 10. This tool is a questionnaire composed of several subtests: melodic free recall, chorus free recall, melodic recognition, chorus recognition, semantic knowledge, autobiographical recall about the song, and autobiographical recall about the interpreter.

Results: We used non-parametric tests, the Mann–Whitney test (M–W), the Friedman test, and the a posteriori Wilcoxon test. Results of AD patients were rather similar to those of control participants for melodic memory. Concerning chorus memory (except recognition), semantic knowledge, and autobiographical recall about the interpreter, results of AD patients were significantly weaker than those of control participants. The most important result concerned autobiographical recall about the song: we found no impairment-related differences between the two groups.

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that popular songs can be excellent stimuli for reminiscence, such as the ability to produce an autobiographical memory related to a song. Thus, we confirm that musical semantic knowledge associated with a song may be relatively preserved in the early stages of AD. This leads to new possibilities for cognitive stimulation.

Background: A new communication method, the “Veder method”, has recently been developed. Caregivers are trained to apply this method in a group activity (“living-room theatre activity”) for people with dementia in which theatrical stimuli are used in combination with proven emotion-oriented care methods. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the added value of the Veder method group activity compared to a regular reminiscence group activity and to investigate whether professional carers can achieve the same effects with the Veder method as professional actors.

Methods: A quasi-experimental three-group design was used. Experimental group 1 (E1; n = 65) joined a living-room theatre activity offered by trained professional caregivers. Experimental group 2 (E2; n = 31) joined a living-room theatre activity offered by professional actors. The control group (n = 55) received a usual reminiscence group activity. Behavior, mood and aspects of quality of life were measured using standardized observation scales at three points in time: (T1) pretest; (T2) during the intervention and; (T3) post-test, two hours after the intervention.

Results: During the intervention, significant differences were found in favor of the group that was offered a living-room theatre activity by actors (E2) on different aspects of behavior, mood and quality of life. At post-test, people in E2 were more alert compared to the control group. Moreover, they recalled more memories and showed less socially isolated behavior compared to the control group.

Conclusion: This exploratory study shows that the Veder method has some clear positive effects on behavior and mood of people with dementia when applied by professional actors.

Reminiscence is the process of thinking or telling about past experiences. The goal of this study was to investigate which functions young adults attribute to their own reminiscences, and to the reminiscences of older persons. The views of young adults on the reminiscences of older adults were also compared with the self-reports of older persons on their reminiscences. We used the Reminiscence Functions Scale (Webster, 1993,1997), which measures eight functions: Boredom Reduction, Death Preparation, Identity, Problem-Solving, Conversation, Intimacy Maintenance, Bitterness Revival, and Teach/Inform. Seventy-six undergraduate students reported on their own uses of reminiscences. A few weeks later, they gave their views regarding the functions for older persons on the same scale. Eighty-three adults over the age of 65 completed the scale regarding their own uses. Age-appropriate higher uses of the functions of Boredom Reduction, Identity and Problem-Solving characterized the young adults. Older adults most characteristically used reminiscence for Teach/ Inform, i.e. for transmission of life experiences. Compared to themselves, young adults believed that older adults reminisced more for practically all functions, which reflects the stereotypical view. When these beliefs were checked against the reports of older adults, it became clear that young adults overestimated almost all uses, especially Boredom Reduction, Death Preparation, and Teach/Inform. These findings reflect the prevalence of ageist assumptions regarding the uses of reminiscence by older persons.

This article explores recent progress in theory, research and practical applications of reminiscence. It first describes the evidence for reminiscence as a naturally occurring process, and discusses the different functions of reminiscence and their relationships with mental health and lifespan processes. Three basic types of reminiscence that relate to mental health are specified: conversations about autobiographical memories and the use of personal recollections to teach and inform others have social functions; positive functions for the self include the integration of memories into identity, recollections of past problem-solving behaviours, and the use of memories to prepare for one's own death; negative functions for the self are the use of past memories to reduce boredom, to revive bitterness, or to maintain intimacy with deceased persons. It is proposed that in interventions the three types are addressed differently: simple reminiscence stimulates social reminiscence and bonding and promotes positive feelings; life review uses the positive functions to enhance personal wellbeing; and life-review therapy seeks to reduce the negative uses and thereby alleviate symptoms of mental illness. Studies of the effectiveness of interventions have provided some evidence that interventions are effective in relation to their goals. The review closes with recommended directions for future reminiscence research.

Background: To date, no firm conclusions can be reached regarding the effectiveness of reminiscence for dementia. Researchers have emphasized that there is an urgent need for more systematic research in the area.

Objective and Method: A single-blinded, parallel-groups (one intervention, one comparison, and one no-intervention group) randomized controlled trial (RCT) was adopted to investigate whether a specific reminiscence program leads to higher levels of psychosocial well-being in nursing home residents with dementia. The intervention adopted a life-story approach, while the comparison group provided friendly discussions to control for any changes in outcome as a result of social contacts and attention. The Social Engagement Scale (SES) and Well-being/Ill-being Scale (WIB) were the outcome measures used. The outcomes of the groups were examined with reference to the baseline (T0), immediately (T1), and six weeks (T2) after intervention. The final sample had 101 subjects (control group: n=30; comparison group: n=35; intervention group: n=36). Using multivariate analysis with repeated measures, no significant differences in outcome were found between groups at either T1 or T2. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were performed for each group comparing outcomes between T1 and T0, T2 and T1, and T2 and T0. Significant differences were observed in the intervention group when comparing T1 and T0 WIB (p=.014), but not for the other groups.

Conclusion: Although the intervention did not lead to significant differences between the three groups over time, there was a significant improvement in psychosocial well-being for the intervention group.