Reminiscence for Health

It is all too easy for an elderly person to experience feelings of detachment or isolation when they are no longer at the hub of family life. There may no longer be an active role for them to play within their family and this can lead to feelings of redundancy and despair. Reminiscence work with elderly members of a community, whether in a residential home or a weekly luncheon club, can help to enhance each person’s sense of purpose and well being.

Through group based reminiscence the facilitator helps people to share their life experiences using creative methods such as active debate, poetry reading, recipe exchanges, working with tactile material, songs and music. The facilitator can transcribe life stories and present them to the group as written text. A piece of work to be shared and treasured. Enabling elderly people to tell stories and pass on memories to each other and to younger generations often gives back their sense of purpose and helps to evoke feelings of well being; if a person has suffered organic brain damage, such as a stroke or the onset of dementia, his or her quality of life can often be improved if they are actively encouraged to remember their life, to hold on to who they are and where they came from

Whilst group reminiscence work with the elderly is becoming more widely acknowledged and valued there is also a place for reminiscence and face to face contact through counselling, which can be a powerful tool in helping elderly people find closure on a past issue or talk through any current problems they may have around isolation or loneliness.

It’s good to talk, to share your memories and even better to know that you are being heard and understood.

Margaret

© Hypno4Health 2008