ABSTRACT Objective : This study was conducted to examine the effect of reminiscence therapy on the level of functionality of individuals aged 65 and over.~Method: The sample of the study consisted of 16 residents who lived in a public nursing home between December 2019 and February 2020 and agreed to participate in the study. Participants were divided into intervention and control groups using the simple random sampling method. Reminiscence therapy was performed with each participant in the intervention group for 8 weeks. The participants in the control group received routine services and were regularly visited for 8 weeks. The research data were obtained by implementing the Personal Information Form, Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES), and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) with all participants before the reminiscence therapy and at the end of week eight. Non-parametric tests were completed in analyzing the data as the sample size was lower than 30.~Findings: It was determined that 87.5% of the participants in the intervention group had a chronic disease, 50% were male, and 37.5% were elementary school graduates. All the participants in the control group had a chronic disease, 62.5% were male, and 50% were elementary school graduates. When the pre- and post-reminiscence therapy results were compared, a significant difference was found in the MMSE and MOSES (in the areas of disoriented behavior, depressed/anxious mood, and withdrawn behavior) scores in the intervention group. In the post-test evaluation, a significant difference was found between the intervention and comparison group in MOSES scores. It was determined that the participants in the intervention group that received reminiscence therapy had better functional and cognitive competency than the control group in the areas of self-care, depression/anxiety, and withdrawal from society.~Conclusion: It was concluded that the reminiscence therapy contributed to increase the mental competence and functionality of the older adult participants.
This study was conducted to examine the effect of reminiscence therapy on the functionality of older adults aged 65 and over living in nursing homes.