The comparative effectiveness among institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly people in Taiwan of reminiscence therapy as a psychological measure

Abstract

This study examined the comparative effects of reminiscence on self-esteem, self-health perception, depressive symptoms, and mood status of elderly people residing in long-term care facilities and at home. A quasi-experimental design was conducted, using pre-intervention and post-intervention tests and purposive sampling. Rosenberg ' s Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), Health Perception Scale (HPS), Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF), and Apparent Emotion Rating Scale (AER) were used as study instruments. Each subject was administered pre- and post-experimental tests at a four month interval and all subjects underwent weekly individual reminiscence intervention. Forty-eight subjects completed the study, with 25 institutionalized elderly people and 23 non-institutionalized home-based elderly people. Independent t-tests and paired t-tests were conducted to measure the differences in variable means between and within groups. A significant difference was found between groups in mood status post-test (t = 5.96, p <.001) and significant differences were noted in self-health perception, depressive symptoms, and mood status (t = -2.56, 2.83, -3.02; p =.018,.009,.007) between the pre- and post-intervention tests in the institutionalized group. These results suggest that reminiscence therapy is especially appropriate for older people who reside in care facilities. Implementing strategies that enrich the lives of elderly people residing in long-term cares is crucial, and reminiscence offers a method for promoting healthy aging.