The Application of Reminiscing to the Clinical Interview

The organically impaired client often presents a number of problems during the clinical interview which require that the clinical gerontologist alter standard assessment procedures. For instance, structured interviews and tests may be met with strong resistance as the demented individual views these activities as irrelavant or with suspicion. This paper proposes that reminiscing, with the aid of a photo album, can be employed as an assessment methodology to promote the establishment of rapport and client cooperation, to more accurately determine the extent of memory dysfunction, and to elicit the disclosure of key historical information and current problems. The case of an 86-year-old woman is used to illustrate the application of reminiscence to the clinical interview process.