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. 2009;32(2):164-176.
doi: 10.1080/07317110802677005.

The Legacy Project Intervention to Enhance Meaningful Family Interactions: Case Examples

Rebecca S Allen  1
Affiliations

The Legacy Project Intervention to Enhance Meaningful Family Interactions: Case Examples

Rebecca S Allen. Clin Gerontol. 2009.

Abstract

Manualized reminiscence and life review therapies are supported as an evidence-based, effective treatment for depression among older adults, but this therapeutic approach is usually individually administered and has rarely been applied in palliative care settings. We combined mutual reminiscence and life review with engagement in meaningful activity and examined the efficacy of this family-based dyadic intervention to decrease caregiving stress and increase family communication. Seventeen individuals living with chronic, life-limiting illnesses in the community and their family caregivers received three home visits with a master's-level interventionist. During these sessions and through structured homework activities, the interventionist actively worked with the family to construct a personal Legacy Project, usually a scrapbook with photos, a cookbook, or audiotaped stories that celebrated the life of the ill individual. All participants in the intervention group initiated a Legacy Project and reported that Legacy activities improved family communication. Participation in Legacy creation also resulted in increased positive emotional experiences in patient and caregiver groups. These results are illustrated through careful examination of three case studies.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Theoretical model modified from the Revised Stress and Coping Model (Folkman, 1997).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Treatment enactment by patients and caregivers as a function of patient score on the Mini-Mental State Exam (Folstein et al., 1975).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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