Reminiscence therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention that improves self-esteem and provides older patients with a sense of fulfillment and comfort as they look back at their lives.
Although reminiscing involves recalling past events, it encourages older patients to communicate and interact with a listener in the present.
Reminiscence therapy typically uses aids of tangible prompts such as photographs, household and other familiar items from the past, music and archive sound recordings (NCBI).
Reminiscence therapy uses this ability to recall events in the long term even when the patient's short-term memory may be declining.
[citation needed] Reminiscence therapy has been shown to have many benefits for aging adults, the most significant being the alleviation of symptoms of depression, though improvements to general well-being, ego-integrity, sense of purpose in life, cognitive performance, social integration, and death preparation have been noted as well.
[12] A 2018 Cochrane review found probable benefits for cognition, mood and communication depending on setting in dementia patients but inconsistencies in interventions made drawing further conclusions impractical.
Even for patients with dementia, the years during the reminiscence bump remain intact (until their illness has become very advanced) and can be easily recalled with some simple triggers like pictures or songs.