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. 2024 Sep;43(9):1305-1314.
doi: 10.1177/07334648241236236. Epub 2024 Feb 29.

Reminiscence Therapy and Music With Older Adults: A Descriptive Study Investigating the Current Views and Practices of Australian Aged Care Providers and Volunteers

Romy Engelbrecht  1 , Sunil Bhar  1 , Helen Shoemark  2 , Bradley Elphinstone  1 , Joseph Ciorciari  1   3
Affiliations

Reminiscence Therapy and Music With Older Adults: A Descriptive Study Investigating the Current Views and Practices of Australian Aged Care Providers and Volunteers

Romy Engelbrecht et al. J Appl Gerontol. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Reminiscence therapy and music are often used to improve the wellbeing of older people; however, we do not know how these interventions are used in practice. This study explored how those working with older people view and use verbal Reminiscence Therapy (VRT) and Music-assisted Reminiscence Therapy (MRT). A total of 110 participants who worked or volunteered with older people in Australia were surveyed in this descriptive, mixed-method study. VRT and MRT were frequently and spontaneously used to respond to the varied needs of older adults. VRT and MRT lead to reported positive outcomes including better care practices, positive affect and mood, and improved social connections. MRT was used as a compensatory strategy when traditional VRT was not possible. This study describes the current practices of VRT and MRT, and an overview of how reminiscence-based approaches are used in Australia to address the health and wellbeing of older people.

Keywords: caregiving; memory; mixed methods; music; psychology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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