Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #100652

Phillip J. Waite, PhD, CHES, Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Utah State University, 7000 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, (435) 797-7217, phillip.waite@usu.edu and Thomas Tatchell, PhD, Department of Public Health, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft, Toledo, OH 43606.

American seniors living in long-term care facilities often feel isolated and suffer from various health conditions. Reminiscence therapy (RT) has been used to connect the old with the young, resulting in improvements in seniors' perceptions regarding their own health status. A study involving eight, one-hour, weekly sessions of one-on-one, reminiscence therapy (RT) was implemented by U.S.U. students with rural-living institutionalized seniors. A pretest/posttest design using control and experimental RT student-senior pair groups was employed in order to detect any differential effects of the RT upon senior participants' perceptions on eight perceived health variables measured by the SF-36 and on seven perceived wellness variables measured by the Perceived Wellness Survey. A total of 50 senior participants completed both the pretest and post-test; 35 from the RT group and 15 from the control group. Univariate analyses will be carried out to test for the statistical significance of the interaction between time (pre and post) and group assignment (experimental and control) for each of the dependent variables (i.e., subscale scores) as measured by the SF-36 and PWS. Paired samples t-tests will be employed to detect any statistically significant differences between the pretest and post-test mean scores for each of the dependent variables. Although results of this study are undetermined, prior research has been promising. Several studies involving urban-living institutionalized and non-institutionalized senior adults indicated that a short term of RT conducted by novice practitioners improved several self-reported health outcomes. Recreation therapists and other health-related professionals can make use of this inexpensive therapeutic modality.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. After attending the program, the participants will be able to articulate briefly the nature of reminiscence therapy (RT).
• 2. After attending the program, the participants will be able to describe what the SF-36 and the Perceived Wellness Survey purport to measure.
• 3. After attending the program, the participants will be able to discuss the potential perceived health and wellness benefits of RT upon seniors as implemented by university students.

Keywords: Health Promotion, Elderly

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.