Reminiscence and life review: therapeutic interventions for older people

Gerontological literature in general, and gerontological nursing literature specifically, does not clearly differentiate two important therapeutic interventions for older people: reminiscence and life review. However, practitioners often implement both interventions in a variety of settings. Because of the confusion regarding the interventions, this paper explains the differences between reminiscence and life review, and offers protocols to improve the effectiveness of both interventions. The three protocols include one-to-one reminiscence therapy, group reminiscence, and one-to-one life review.