Developing Evidence for Football (Soccer) Reminiscence Interventions Within Long-term Care: A Co-operative Approach Applied in Scotland and Spain

Reminiscence interventions for loneliness reduction in older adults: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to review the use of reminiscence interventions in the reduction of loneliness in older adults by categorising the interventions by type, and comparing their effectiveness and methodological quality.

METHOD

This is a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. The search was restricted to studies published in the Cochrane, CINAHL, Web of Science, Psycarticles, Psycinfo, and PubMed databases until December 2022. The inclusion criteria for the studies included in this review were: 1) reminiscence intervention 2) loneliness outcome measure 3) adults over 60 years old 4) experimental, pre-experimental, and quasi-experimental studies.

RESULTS

A total of twelve studies were eligible for inclusion. Only nine studies included a control group, and seven of those report significant effectiveness in reducing loneliness levels. The most popular type of intervention is simple reminiscence and life review, and in-group format. The interventions to date have been very heterogeneous, and the methodological quality of the existing literature is moderate to weak.

CONCLUSION

While reminiscence interventions hold some promise for reducing loneliness levels among older adults, future methodologically rigorous research is required, and standardised protocols need to be developed for application, with the specific aim of reducing levels of loneliness among older adults.

Improved Mental Health, Social Connections and Sense of Self: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review Exploring the Impact and Experience of Community Reminiscence Programs

Older people can experience health and social challenges such as loneliness, depression, and lack of social connectedness. One initiative that has been trialed to address these challenges is reminiscence programs. These programs can include music, art, photographs, sports, and general discussion to stimulate memories. This review aimed to systematically search for literature that explored the impact and experience of reminiscence programs for older people living in the community for the purposes of informing community programming. The PICOS framework was used to develop the review parameters and search strategy. Qualitative and quantitative research focused on community-based reminiscence programs were included. Commercially produced databases and grey literature were searched. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program qualitative critical appraisal tool and McMaster quantitative critical appraisal tool were used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Quantitative data were descriptively synthesized, and qualitative data were thematically analyzed, with each reported separately. Twenty-seven studies were included in the review. All quantitative studies (n = 17) provided clear information regarding the purpose, sample size, and justification. The measures adopted were reliable and valid. All studies reported clear data collection/analysis information and statistically significant findings. All qualitative studies (n = 10) clearly articulated a purpose with nine clearly describing recruitment, data collection, and researcher relationship. Synthesis of quantitative data demonstrated positive findings through a reduction in depression, anxiety, and loneliness and improvements in quality of life and mastery. These findings were supported and broadened by qualitative findings with three key themes identified: program processes, program ingredients, and program benefits. Providing opportunities for older adults to come together to tell stories about their past experiences may positively contribute to social outcomes. As reminiscence programs gain popularity, their implementation in practice should be underpinned by clear and reproducible practices.

[Reminiscence program supported by artificial intelligence and based on intangible cultural heritage aimed at the elderly: A pilot study]

INTRODUCTION

Technological applications are an innovative way of providing reminiscence therapy and must meet the users' needs. Intangible cultural heritage as a basis for such therapy has not been explored yet. We evaluated the applicability of a new technological application supported by artificial intelligence for reminiscence therapy based on intangible cultural heritage aimed at older people.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective observational study was carried out with people aged 65 or over, without cognitive impairment and with mild and moderate cognitive impairment who attended six centers for older people in Spain and Portugal. Participants tested the first prototype of the individualized LONG-REMI program in four consecutive weekly sessions. The usability and satisfaction of the experience were evaluated using the VAS scale at the end of the intervention. Emotions were evaluated using the PANAS scale before and at the end of the intervention.

RESULTS

Data from 56 participants were analysed. For all participants, usability and satisfaction were highly perceived, with scores of 7.75±1.88 and 8.38±1.57, respectively. The positive affect subscale PANAS showed significant changes (28.86±8.88 before the intervention versus 36.70±9.43 post intervention, Z = -4.18, P = 0.000). There were no significant changes in the PANAS negative affect subscale.

CONCLUSIONS

The first prototype of the LONG-REMI technological application can be used by older people both with and without cognitive impairment. This has the potential to be an instrument for future cognitive therapies with stimulating activities and benefits for emotions.

Cognitive interventions for memory and psychological well-being in aging and dementias

The human lifespan has expanded drastically in the last few centuries, due to improvements in sanitation, medicine, and nutrition, but with this increase in longevity comes higher rates of cognitive pathology such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia; the latter is estimated to reach more than 75 million people by 2030. Pathology risk is related to measures of executive function, lifestyle factors (e.g., education, occupation, and leisure activities), and cognitive reserve. One way of building cognitive reserve may be to structure the environment to encourage lifelong engagement and learning, and since a pharmacological "cure" for dementia remains elusive, non-pharmacological approaches such as physical activity, social engagement, and cognitive stimulation are becoming increasingly essential to preserving and protecting brain health. Here, we describe our recent research into Reminiscence Therapy (RT) to promote cognitive and psychological function in old age and early dementia. We review the Recall Initiative, which involved brain imaging and behavioral indices of memory pre- and post-RT. We also report results from a pilot study-AIM WARM-in which RT was combined with physical activity, specifically walking, for early-stage dementia. Finally, we outline our future directions for tailored reminiscence interventions in combination with other activities (e.g., yoga and meditation) for different groups, namely early Alzheimer's disease, Semantic Dementia, and older individuals in the prison system.

LONG-REMI: An AI-Based Technological Application to Promote Healthy Mental Longevity Grounded in Reminiscence Therapy

Reminiscence therapy (RT) consists of thinking about one's own experiences through the presentation of memory-facilitating stimuli, and it has as its fundamental axis the activation of emotions. An innovative way of offering RT involves the use of technology-assisted applications, which must also satisfy the needs of the user. This study aimed to develop an AI-based computer application that recreates RT in a personalized way, meeting the characteristics of RT guided by a therapist or a caregiver. The material guiding RT focuses on intangible cultural heritage. The application incorporates facial expression analysis and reinforcement learning techniques, with the aim of identifying the user's emotions and, with them, guiding the computer system that emulates RT dynamically and in real time. A pilot study was carried out at five senior centers in Barcelona and Portugal. The results obtained are very positive, showing high user satisfaction. Moreover, the results indicate that the high frequency of positive emotions increased in the participants at the end of the intervention, while the low frequencies of negative emotions were maintained at the end of the intervention.

Expressions of masculine identity through sports-based reminiscence: An ethnographic study with community-dwelling men with dementia

BACKGROUND

Despite increasing numbers of men living in isolation with dementia in the community, uptake of supportive interventions remains low. This may be because of limited availability of activities suited to men's interests. One organisation reporting higher attendance from men is Sporting Memories, offering inclusive sports-based reminiscence and physical activities for men living with dementia. This study aimed to explore the impact of the Sporting Memories intervention on men living with dementia.

METHOD

This study was an ethnography employing techniques of participant observation, informal conversations and semi-structured interviews with group participants. Data were woven into a series of narratives using creative non-fiction, to bring life to the first-hand accounts of participants and experiences within a typical group setting.

FINDINGS

The groups provided an environment for men with dementia to explore, reflect upon and reinforce their masculine identities through the subject of sport. Physical activities further facilitated this embodied demonstration for some, although this was not a feature of all sessions.

CONCLUSIONS

The content of Sporting Memories group sessions provides a vehicle for men to retain an important aspect of personhood. They also hold the potential to present opportunities for men to feel a sense of value by contributing to sessions in varied ways. Facilitators and volunteers require support and training to ensure this benefit is maintained.

Clinical Update on Nursing Home Medicine: 2017

This is the 11th annual Clinical Update from the AMDA meeting article. This year the topics covered are hypertension after the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk factors, diagnosis and management including end-of-life planning, and the difficulties with exacerbations such as breathlessness; diagnosis and treatment of cognitive impairment and dementia; and wound care and pressure ulcer management.