Cognitive, affective, and behavioral effects of reminiscence group therapy on demented elderly.

Twenty-seven demented elderly nursing home residents were given either reminiscence group therapy or supportive group therapy or were assigned to a no-treatment control group. The self-reported level of depression in participants given reminiscence therapy was positively affected compared to participants in the supportive therapy and control groups, but no significant effects were found for cognitive or behavioral functioning. Results are discussed in terms of the issue of the applicability of reminiscence therapy for cognitively impaired persons, the appropriateness of the measures used in this study to assess depression, cognitive ability and behavioral functioning, and in conjunction with clinical observations made during the process of therapy.