Exploring the Applicability of Brief Individual Reminiscence Therapy for Older Adults with Dementia to Home-Visit Nursing

Abstract

This study examined the effects of brief individual reminiscence therapy for older adults with dementia, and its applicability to home-visit nursing. The subjects were seven elderly people with Alzheimer’s dementia type. Individual reminiscence therapy sessions of approximately 10 minutes were held once a week for a total of eight sessions (2 months). The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using three items: the Dementia Quality of Life Instrument (DQOL) as a dementia-specific QOL scale, the Alzheimer’s disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD) to measure BPSD, and observation recording sheets. The DQOL and BEHAVE-AD scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results revealed that sense of self-respect significantly improved one month after the intervention. None of the BEHAVE-AD subscales indicated significant differences. Scores from the observation recording sheets showed increases in the following categories: facial expressions, happiness/joyfulness, overall impression, number of statements, and spontaneity/responsiveness. The users activated positive emotional expressions by recalling past emotions. Based on this, the therapy may be applicable as care to help elderly people with dementia rediscover self-fulfillment and stabilize their conditions. These results suggest that reminiscence is a useful therapy in home-visit nursing care that promotes positive emotions in elderly people with dementia.