Deprivation of social activities increases the feeling of loneliness among older adults. Reminiscence as the recall of past events, feelings, and thoughts, is one of the nursing interventions in nursing homes. This study aimed to determine the influence of group reminiscence on loneliness of older adults those living in hospitals affiliated with Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2019.


 

In this quasi-experimental study, 32 older who met the inclusion criteria were randomly selected and entered in two groups, intervention and control group. Both groups completed a standard questionnaire as pre-test. After that, intervention group participated in a reminiscence protocol. The schedule was carried out twice a week, eight times and each season last 1 to 1.5 hours.

According to the results of the present study, reminiscence reduces the feeling of loneliness in the elderly living in Gilan nursing home. This finding is consistent with the results of studiy by Sheibani Tezerji, Pakdaman and Hassanzadeh Tavakoli who conducted a similar study with a sample size close to the sample size of the present study on loneliness in the elderly [20]. Chiang et al. reduced the feeling of loneliness in the elderly. They believed that reminiscence helps to better deal with life issues by improving cognitive organization and promoting cognitive function. It can also reduce the feeling of loneliness in the elderly by promoting social interactions and using reminiscence as a hobby for leisure [21].
The score of feeling lonely before and after the intervention was close to 50 according to the tools related to the number, which most likely suggests feeling lonely, and this most likely indicates the intensity of feeling lonely in both groups before and after the intervention. However, the loneliness score in the intervention group decreased significantly after 8 sessions, which indicates the positive effect of reminiscence. In the control group, after 8 sessions, there was a significant increase in loneliness score. Given such results, the use of longer periods of reminiscence seems to be more effective in further reducing the severity of feelings of loneliness in nursing home residents. In Chao study, it was found that after the intervention, no significant change was observed in depression and loneliness in the elderly [24]. In a similar study of the elderly living at home, Koushan found a significant reduction in loneliness and depression in the elderly after reminiscence in the intervention group. He believed that differences in the research population, whether the elderly living in a home or a nursing home, may have led to this conflicting result in these two similar studies [25].
This could be related to the difference in the severity of depression in the elderly living in a home and a nursing home. Heidari's study also showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups in terms of feeling alone. He believes that more loneliness in the elderly living in nursing homes can be due to their social isolation. They lose close relationships with friends and family, and because of the lack of relationships, material and psychological support also decreases [19]. Therefore, it is recommended that a comparative study be performed to evaluate the effect of reminiscence in the elderly living in nursing homes with the elderly living at home. One of the limitations of this research is the time-consuming study and the loss of samples that had less patience. The level of literacy of the elderly was very low and limited facilities could be used to evoke memories. A number of elderly people were not able to attend group classes due to physical and mobility problems. It is recommended that the effect of reminiscence on other aspects of mental health be studied in future studies.

 

As a dynamic and interactive method, group reminiscence can reduce depression in the elderly. In this way, the elderly has an active participation and his social relations in the group are strengthened. Every older person finds self-confidence by defining their memories and talking in a group, and sometimes empties their emotions with feelings of joy and sometimes with feelings of sadness. This method is applicable in chronic care centers and nursing homes as a cheap and non-pharmacological method. Teaching this method to families is recommended to develop the community's mental health and help improve the elderly.

 

Hereby, we appreciate all persons who helped us by their valuable comments.

 

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.