Objective To explore as a pilot study the effects of group reminiscence therapy upon depression of people living with dementia within dementia-specific day care centers. Method A unique pre-test-post-test, quasi-experimental design counterbalanced with a qualitative grounded theory video analysis of facial expression and behavior was used to measure the effects of group reminiscence therapy. The study recruited 21 participants in total from two dementia-specific day care centers. Results The findings highlighted improvements in depression, communication, and positive mood after group reminiscence intervention. The results also showed that participants scored higher on average during the Chinese New Year and marriage reminiscence activities compared to the other activities, revealing the subject matters extraordinarily significance. Conclusion This study provides evidence supporting the proposition that undertaking a cultural focus reminiscence therapy may produce significant psychosocial improvements for a person with dementia.
Keywords: depression; group reminiscence therapy; people living with dementia.