Group reminiscence therapy for Japanese elderly community

This study examined the effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy in a Japanese elderly community. The relationship between the effectiveness of reminiscence therapy and styles of daily reminiscence was also examined. Participants (Two men and 46 women, mean age = 81.9 years) were recruited from a welfare center of a community. The reminiscence group and the control group consisted of 22 and 26 participants, respectively. They completed the assessment of anxiety and insomnia, depression, integrity, life satisfaction, and self-esteem before and after the intervention and in the 12-week follow-up. Participants in the reminiscence group took eight one-hour weekly sessions. Results showed that the reminiscence group showed improvement in life satisfaction after the intervention. Results also revealed that the frequency of daily reminiscence positively correlated with self-esteem at the posttest, suggesting that older adults reminiscing frequently may improve self-esteem when they participate in reminiscence therapy. The results suggested the potential value of group reminiscence therapy for Japanese elders.