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Older Adults and Their Life Experience: What Can We Learn from Them?
... As people grow, their attention is directed towards problem-solving, with individuals becoming more susceptible to reflecting on their own emotional states and seeking more adaptive strategies to cope with emotions (Zimmer-Gembeck & Skinner, 2011). Thus, adults possess a greater life experience, which has led them to navigate through numerous instances of emotional challenge (Ami & David, 2020). Additionally, it is known that older adults from various backgrounds (i.e., European, African, and Chinese Americans, Catholic American, and Norwegians) have exhibited greater emotional control compared to younger adults (Gross et al., 1997). ...
... This occurs because as people age, they can develop more effective abilities and resources for their own emotional regulation, and over the years, accumulated experiences can lead to greater emotional control (Zimmer-Gembeck & Skinner, 2011). Additionally, older age also entails more life experience (Ami & David, 2020). Naturally, older individuals have likely been exposed to a variety of situations and multiple emotional challenges (Ami & David, 2020). ...
... Additionally, older age also entails more life experience (Ami & David, 2020). Naturally, older individuals have likely been exposed to a variety of situations and multiple emotional challenges (Ami & David, 2020). Such exposure can aid in the development of emotional regulation skills by learning, for example, better management of negative mental health outcomes such as stress, anxiety, depression, or other negative feelings (Riaz et al., 2021). ...
This study aimed to explore the existing relationships between emotion regulation, relationship satisfaction, and age. The research involved 775 participants: 222 were male (28.6%), and 553 were female (71.4%). Their ages ranged from 18 to 75 years (M = 26.57; SD = 9.55). Respondents completed questionnaires related to difficulties in emotion regulation, relationship satisfaction, and various socio-demographic data. The results of this show that difficulties in emotion regulation are negatively associated with age and relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, our findings shows age moderating the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and relationship satisfaction. We explore both theoretical and practical implications, along with ethical considerations associated with this topic.
... Several qualitative studies worldwide were undertaken to explore these experiences that older adults have gone through. For example, a study by Rokach and Berman [2] interviewed 132 Canadian seniors and extrapolated several crucial insights on life and words of wisdom for future generations. Hall [3] conducted qualitative interviews with British and Japanese seniors in retirement migration to assess the challenges people face when receiving care services due to language, culture, location, and cost. ...
... Therefore, it is imperative to communicate this advice to newly formed families, urging them to put forth every effort to give their kids the happiest, safest childhood experience imaginable. Intriguingly, the seniors revealed a phenomenon throughout their recollections that accurately captured the experience of older generations when society was less accepting of certain viewpoints [2]. It was highlighted through the recounts that most female older adults were not expected to hold any working positions. ...
... There were two main pearls of wisdom that the seniors seemed to agree upon: patience and being respectful of other people. These findings were similar to other studies [2,4,28]. Hardships are common in life; thus, one should not give up in the face of them. ...
Background:
Reminiscence studies and life reviews have a number of proven advantages. Future generations gain by learning from elders' life experiences, as do older adults themselves who share their memories. Despite Oman's sizable geriatric population, research on older individuals' life experiences is scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the life experiences of older Omani individuals across their many life stages, from childhood to the present.
Methods:
This was a qualitative study design. Convenience sampling was employed and conducted from December 2021 to October 2022. A total of 13 Omani older adults (9 females and 4 males), with an average age of 68 years, were recruited for this study (response rate = 34%). Socio-demographic and life review information was gathered according to a set of semi-structured guiding questions. The responses were then captured on audio recordings, which underwent transcription and translation. Thematic analysis techniques were applied to the extracted data.
Results:
Three main themes were evident in this study's findings: childhood memories, friendships, and relationships, as well as the elders' past. Additionally, older adults passed on a number of gems of wisdom to be shared with the younger generations.
Conclusions:
This study aided in revealing the resiliency, social connections, and life reflections of Omani older adults. These themes can guide the creation of age-inclusive laws, social support initiatives, and healthcare services specifically designed to satisfy the special requirements and ambitions of the elderly population. Based on these themes, this study recommended that the local community or society build a more sympathetic and compassionate atmosphere that honors and respects the accomplishments of this essential group by recognizing and comprehending the complex experiences of older adults. In addition, future studies could explore particular aspects of these older experiences and pinpoint solutions to improve their quality of life and wellbeing.
... Several qualitative studies worldwide were undertaken to explore these experiences that older adults have gone through. For example, a study by Rokach and Berman [2] interviewed 132 Canadian seniors and extrapolated several crucial insights on life and words of wisdom for future generations. Hall and Hardill [3] conducted qualitative interviews with frail British seniors in Spain to assess the challenges people face when receiving care services due to language, culture, location, and cost. ...
... Therefore, it is imperative to communicate this advice to those newly formed families, urging them to put forth every effort to give their kids the happiest, safest childhood experience imaginable. Intriguingly, the seniors revealed a phenomenon throughout their recollections that accurately captured the experience of older generations when society was less accepting of certain viewpoints [2]. It was highlighted through the recounts that most female older adults were not expected to hold any working positions. ...
... There were two main pearls of wisdom that the seniors seemed to agree upon: Patience and being respectful of other people. These findings were similar to other studies [2]. Hardships are a common occurrence in life; thus, one should not give up in the face of them; instead, people should be patient, persevere through them, and attempt to overcome them. ...
Background: Reminiscence studies and life reviews have a number of proven advantages. Future generations gain by learning from elders' life experiences, as do older adults themselves who share their memories. Despite Oman's sizable geriatric population, research on older individuals' life experiences is scarce. Therefore, this study aims to explore the life experiences of older Omani individuals across their many life stages, from childhood to the present. Methods: This was a qualitative study design. A total of 13 Omani older adults (9 females and 4 males) with an average age of 68 years were recruited for this study. Socio-demographic and life review information was gathered according to a set of semi-structured guiding questions. The responses were then captured on audio recordings, which underwent transcription and translation. Thematic analysis techniques were applied to the extracted data. Results: Three main themes were evident in the study’s findings: Childhood memories, Friendships, and Relationships, as well as the elders’ past. Additionally, older adults passed on a number of gems of wisdom to be shared with the younger generations. Conclusion: This study aided in revealing the resiliency, social connections, and life reflections of Omani older adults. Based on these findings, future studies might explore particular aspects of older experiences and pinpoint solutions to improve their quality of life and well-being.
... The restrictions on public spaces, social distancing and isolation may lead to loneliness and boredom thus negatively impacting mental well-being ( Figure 1). Social isolation, opposite to social connectedness, is related to psychological distress, such as anxiety, depression, anxiety, depression, stress, and loneliness (Ami & David, 2020;JONES Dan et al., 2021;Miller, 2020;Smith et al., 2020b;Tull et al., 2020). While social isolation and loneliness were prevalent in the population prior to COVID-19, quarantine and social distancing recommendations have skewed the graph, which is a severe problem. ...
People go to urban public spaces for their needs of social interaction. It has been established that social interactions in public places hosting various active and passive activities have multiple psychological health benefits. However, public spaces have ceased to be public during the pandemic. The public realm, which was highly visited, had transformed into mostly inactive spaces, and particularly during the lockdown, they were completely deserted. This paper attempts to understand the association between restrictions of use in public spaces and the mental well-being of citizens during the first wave of Covid-19. The survey was conducted through an online questionnaire (n=277) to analyze their current living condition, the effect of the lockdown on their daily life, their perception of the future, activities they are missing, and their perceived stress due to the restrictions. Results from the statistical analysis show that higher perceived stress is associated with being unable to visit public places and not being able to connect with other people during the first lockdown. The study comprehended the difficulties of staying indoors and being unable to interact in urban public spaces socially. The research also infers that being unable to use urban public space for the natural reason of social interaction has negatively impacted mental well-being.
... For these older adults, the meaning of walking in their neighborhood symbolized personal agency and independence. Such opportunities for meaning making, reflection, and reminiscence inherent in photovoice programs may be particularly beneficial for older adults (Rokach & Berman, 2020). ...
The importance of community involvement for both older adults and individuals coping with mental illness is well documented. Yet, barriers to community integration for adults with mental illness such as social stigma, discrimination, and economic marginalization are often exacerbated by increased health and mobility challenges among older adults. Using photovoice, nine older adults with mental illness represented their views of community in photographs and group discussions over a six-week period. Participant themes of community life included physical spaces, valued social roles, and access to resources in the community. Themes were anchored by older adults’ perceptions of historical and cultural time comparisons between ‘how things used to be’ and ‘how things are now.’ Barriers to community integration were often related to factors such as age, mobility, and resources rather than to mental health status. Program evaluation results suggest photovoice can promote self-reflection, learning, and collaboration among older adults with mental illness.
Oral history provides researchers opportunities to assess narratives and compare them to existing theories of aging. Oftentimes the discussion of psychosocial theories of aging does not include the oldest-old. The purpose of this study was to assess evidence of psychosocial theories of aging within oral history narratives from a subsample of 20 centenarians from the Oklahoma 100 Year Life Oral History Project. Analysis utilized seven theories: Activity Theory, Continuity Theory, Disengagement Theory, Theory of Gerotranscendence, Modernization Theory, Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC) Theory, and Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST). Researchers used content analysis to assess each oral history narrative and noted Activity Theory and Gerotranscendence had the most evidence. Most centenarians described how they were extremely active well into older adulthood. Common themes across oral history narratives indicated that centenarians maintained a preference for activity such as formal work. Centenarians also reported a readiness for death and little fear of it. In addition, increased time spent reflecting on spirituality and religion indicated changes in self-discovery. Identification of Disengagement and Socioemotional Selectivity were sparse in the transcripts. It is possible that to reach such longevity, centenarians relied on their communities and support networks to achieve this status. It is also possible that centenarians outlived individuals in their social networks who were emotionally fulfilling. Further qualitative work should assess evidence of psychosocial theories among other long-lived older adults.
To resolve the controversy regarding the adaptive benefits of reminiscence, the study was conducted to investigate what types of reminiscence are associated with successful aging. On the basis of prior research and content analysis, 6 types of reminiscence were identified: integrative, instrumental, transmissive, narrative, escapist, and obsessive. Successful aging was operationally defined as higher than average ratings in mental and physical health and adjustment as determined by an interviewer and a panel of gerontological professionals. Reminiscence data were gathered from 88 men and women judged to be aging successfully and 83 men and women judged to be aging unsuccessfully. All subjects were between 65 and 95 years of age, with approximately half living in the community and half in institutions. As predicted, successful agers showed significantly more integrative and instrumental reminiscence but less obsessive reminiscence than their unsuccessful counterparts. Community dwellers also showed more instrumental and integrative reminiscence than institutionalized seniors showed. Thus, only certain types of reminiscence are beneficial.
173 adults (aged 18–86 yrs) described their hoped-for (e.g., powerful, glamorous, esteemed) and feared (e.g., fat, out-of-shape, unwanted) possible selves. Differences were found across age groups in the categories of possible selves mentioned most frequently and in Ss' evaluations of these possible selves. Ss scoring low in life satisfaction generated different possible selves than Ss high in life satisfaction. Possible selves are conceptualized as psychological resources that are instrumental in motivating and defending the self throughout the course of adult development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reminiscence, a naturally occurring process of recalling personally experienced events from our past, has been investigated primarily from a clinical, gerontological perspective. A total of 268 participants (100 male, 168 female) ranging in age from 17 to 88 years (M age = 40.02, SD = 20.32) completed the Reminiscence Functions Scale (RFS), the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH), and a single-item question assessing the perceived importance of shared family memories. Results indicated neither age nor gender differences on the total RFS score, indicating that men and women of all ages reminisce equally frequently. However, there were gender and age differences on specific dimensions of reminiscence. Specifically, women scored higher on the RFS factor of Identity (Idn) and lower on Bitterness Revival (BiR). Younger adults tended to score higher on the RFS factors of Boredom Reduction (BoR), BiR, Problem-Solving (PS), and Idn compared to older adults. In contrast, older adults tended to score higher on the RFS factors of Teach/Inform (T/I) and Death Preparation (DP). BoR, BiR, and PS correlated negatively with happiness, whereas Conversation (C) and T/I correlated positively with happiness. Finally, T/I, Intimacy Maintenance (IM), Idn, and C all correlated positively with the measure of the perceived importance of shared family memories. The results replicate earlier work with the RFS and suggest that examining reminiscence from a contextual, lifespan perspective is an important research area.
This study integrated results from controlled trials of reminiscence interventions.
Meta-analysis was used to aggregate results from 128 studies on 9 outcome VARIABLES.
Compared to non-specific changes in control-group members, moderate improvements were observed at posttest with regard to ego-integrity (g=0.64) and depression (g=0.57 standard deviation units). Small effects were found on purpose in life (g=0.48), death preparation (g=0.40), mastery (g=0.40), mental health symptoms (g=0.33), positive well-being (g=0.33), social integration (g=0.31), and cognitive performance (g=0.24). Most effects were maintained at follow-up. We observed larger improvements of depressive symptoms in depressed individuals (g=1.09) and persons with chronic physical disease (g=0.94) than in other individuals, and in those receiving life-review therapy (g=1.28) rather than life-review or simple reminiscence. Moderating effects of the control condition were also detected.
Reminiscence interventions affect a broad range of outcomes, and therapeutic as well as preventive effects are similar to those observed in other frequently used interventions.
The authors hypothesized that experienced and imagined intergenerational contact should improve older people's math test performance under stereotype threat. In Experiment 1 (N=51, mean age=69 years), positive prior contact with grandchildren eliminated stereotype threat, which was mediated partially by reduced test-related anxiety. In Experiment 2 (N=84, mean age=72 years), the effect of threat on performance was significantly improved when participants merely imagined intergenerational contact, a situation again mediated by reduced anxiety. Previous research established that intergroup contact improves intergroup attitudes. The findings show that intergroup (intergenerational) contact also provides a defense against stereotype threat.
Reminiscence may help in resolving conflicts from the past and making up the balance of one's life. Life-review may be further enhanced by the creative expression of memories in stories, poems or drawings. In this way people are encouraged to create and discover metaphors, images and stories that symbolically represent the subjective and inner meaning of their lives. In this article, a new intervention, which combines reminiscence and creative expression aimed at early treatment of depression, is described. A pilot project showed that the intervention Searching for the meaning in life may generate small-sized effects in reducing depression. Additionally, it appears to generate effects of medium size in enhancing mastery. Several possible ways to improve the effectiveness of the intervention are described.
The need to provide quality mental health care for elders in nursing home settings has been a critical issue, as the aging population grows rapidly and institutional care becomes a necessity for some elders. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to describe the effect of participation in reminiscence group therapy on older nursing home residents' depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants who met the study criteria. Residents of one ward were assigned to the reminiscence therapy group intervention, while residents of the other ward served as controls. Nine weekly one-hour sessions were designed to elicit reminiscence as group therapy for 12 elders in the experimental group. Another 12 elders were recruited for a control group matched to experimental subjects on relevant criteria. Depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction were measured one week before and after the therapy. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 10.0) was used to analyze data. Results indicated that group reminiscence therapy significantly improved self-esteem, although effects on depression and life satisfaction were not significant. Reminiscence groups could enhance elders' social interaction with one another in nursing home settings and become support groups for participants. The model we created here can serve as a reference for future application in institutional care.
This study addresses the adaptive value of functions of reminiscence with respect to physical and mental health in later life.
A model examining the relationships between the functions of reminiscence and life satisfaction, psychiatric distress, and
health is presented and tested. Self-positive (reminiscence for Identity, Death Preparation, and Problem Solving) and self-negative
(reminiscence for Boredom Reduction, Bitterness Revival, and Intimacy Maintenance) functions have statistically significant
and direct associations with the well-being of this sample of older adults, the first positively and the second negatively.
Prosocial functions (reminiscence for Conversation, and to Teach–Inform Others) appear to have no direct link with health.
Self-functions appear to have an important and lasting influence on physical and mental health, whereas prosocial functions
may affect health by means of their role in emotional regulation.
An experimental study examined the effect of intergenerational contact and stereotype threat on older people's cognitive performance, anxiety, intergroup bias, and identification. Participants completed a series of cognitive tasks under high or low stereotype threat (through comparison with younger people). In line with stereotype threat theory, threat resulted in worse performance. However, this did not occur if prior intergenerational contact had been more positive. This moderating effect of contact was mediated by test-related anxiety. In line with intergroup contact theory, more positive contact was associated with reduced prejudice and reduced ingroup identification. However this occurred in the high threat, but not low threat, condition. The findings suggest that positive intergenerational contact can reduce vulnerability to stereotype threat among older people.
This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of reminiscence on psychological well-being across different target groups and treatment modalities. Fifteen controlled outcome studies were included. An overall effect size of 0.54 was found, indicating a moderate influence of reminiscence on life-satisfaction and emotional well-being in older adults. Life-review was found to have significantly greater effect on psychological well-being than simple reminiscence. In addition, reminiscence had significantly greater effect on community-dwelling adults than adults living in nursing homes or residential care. Other characteristics of participants or interventions were not found to moderate effects. It is concluded that reminiscence in general, but especially life review, are potentially effective methods for the enhancement of psychological well-being in older adults. However, a replication of effectiveness studies of the well-defined protocols is now warranted.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which a reminiscence intervention reduces depressed mood and improves life satisfaction and psychological well-being. 160 healthy elderly people participated in a 10-session intervention. An experimental design with pretest and posttest evaluations was applied, comparing a control group to an intervention group to evaluate the effects of the program. Follow-up measures were also taken to find out whether the intervention's positive effects lasted over time. Mixed Model ANOVAs showed significant increases in the time-group interaction, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being measures, and decreases in depressed mood, after treatment. The effects remained after three months in the case of life satisfaction and some dimensions of psychological well-being, but they were lower on depressed mood. This study provides additional support for the effectiveness of a reminiscence program as a useful intervention to improve the quality of life of older adults.
Purpose. To explore the effects of reminiscence group therapy (RGT) on raising self-esteem, lowering depression, reducing loneliness, and improving life satisfaction among elderly people living alone. Methods. This study used a pre-post test, controlled quasi-experimental design. After convenient sampling, subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group included 12 elderly people living alone who voluntarily participated in RGT and who completed ten RGT sessions. The control group included 14 elderly people living alone who participated in regular group activities for ten weeks. The effectiveness of RGT was evaluated by non-parametric data analysis. Results. RGT significantly raised self-esteem, lessened loneliness and improved life satisfaction among elderly individuals living alone. The reduction in depression levels did not reach statistical significance; however, the level of depression among those in the RGT group did improve when compared with the subjects in the control group. Conclusion. Through the process of retelling and sharing life experiences, the elderly living alone began to realize that they are not alone. Furthermore, RGT gives elderly people a chance to provide support to others. RGT is an effective alterative intervention with minimal harmful side effects for improving mental health and adaptability of elderly living alone. Further research in the application of RGT in elderly living alone using rigorous research designs is needed.
it is the purpose of the present chapter to bridge the gap between coping and adaptation research . . . and the tradition within gerontological research and theory that focuses on adaptation as a developmental process / three models of adaptation are to be analyzed in terms of a developmental perspective: the "life events" model, the "cognitive appraisal" model, and the "subjective well-being" model
the position to be taken here is that it is the individual's own construction of the life course that is central to adaptation in adulthood / this approach combines elements within gerontological research and theory that focus on the ways in which conceptions of the life course influence adaptation (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This chapter presents a death anxiety model. The proposed model is comprised of three direct determinants of death anxiety: past-related regret, future-related regret, and meaningfulness of death. The first two determinants refer to types of regret induced by the contemplation of one's death. Past-related regret refers to the perception of not having fulfilled basic aspirations. Future-related regret refers to the perceived inability to fulfill basic goals in the future. The third determinant, meaningfulness of death, refers to the individual's conceptualization of death as positive or negative, as making sense or being senseless, etc. According to the model, a person will experience high death anxiety when he or she feels much past- and future-related regret or perceives death as meaningless. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
ObjectiveReminiscence therapy, through involving participants in recalling and sharing past events to enhance psychological wellbeing, is a popular psychosocial intervention for older adults. This paper aimed to examine the clinical effects of reminiscence therapy on the life satisfaction, happiness, depression and self-esteem of older adults aged 50 or above.MethodsPotential studies were mainly identified through the keywords: “reminiscence”, “life review”, “reminiscing” and “milestoning” from 12 electronic databases; and by manual search from the references and bibliographies of related papers and 14 journals. In addition, 11 mental health, ageing and geriatrics related websites were visited to capture additional studies. All pre-post test design controlled trials before 2001 comparing the life satisfaction, happiness, depression and self-esteem of older adults receiving reminiscence therapy and no treatment were included. The kind of intervention should be aligned with that defined by Haight & Burnside (1993). Data regarding study identification, study design, characteristics of subjects, and intervention and outcomes were extracted independently by two extractors, who were also responsible for quality assessment of the studies. For each outcome, the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) in post-test between the two comparison groups was calculated. Sensitivity analysis was done to assess the robustness of the overall effects with and without including studies with non- normally distributed data. File-drawer method was used to detect possible publication bias.ResultsA total of 15 studies were included for analysis. Reminiscence therapy showed significant beneficial effects on happiness (pooled SMD = 1.09; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.92) and depression (pooled SMD = −0.90; 95% CI, −1.49 to −0.32).ConclusionOwing to the problems of the limited number of included studies, the small sample size of the trials, the possible play of publication bias, language bias and Hawthorne effect, no convincing conclusion regarding the effects of reminiscence therapy can be drawn.
The purpose of this article is to describe a storytelling project that was designed to help community-dwelling older adults find meaning and purpose in their lives through reminiscing about the past. The storytelling project was successful not only for the older adults who participated but also for the nursing students, who were given an opportunity to learn about interviewing and communicating with older adults. The value of life review and storytelling as a nursing intervention became evident from this project. When time is taken to listen to the valuable stories and life lessons of the older population, nurses create a better understanding of their patients while their patients recall special memories and feel proud of their lives.
Group reminiscence is an intervention recommended for care of older adults in structured and unstructured settings. One problem experienced by nurses is how to organize, facilitate, and evaluate reminiscence groups for older people. Hence, there is a need for further research on reminiscence to determine how to use this as an intervention to improve the well-being of older adults. There is also a need for continuing education to provide nurses with education on this intervention for older persons. This article provides an overview of qualitative and quantitative research on group reminiscence and offers a suggested evidence-based protocol for a 6-week group intervention based on this research.
J Contin Educ Nurs 2009;40(11):521–528.
To examine the values of a reminiscence programme, adopting an intergenerational approach, on older persons with early dementia and youth volunteers.
A pre- and post- one group design was adopted. Forty-nine elderly participants with early dementia and 117 youth volunteers participated in the study. Each elderly participant was assigned to two youth participants. This dyad group participated in a 12-session reminiscence programme. The youth participants acted as facilitators to prompt the elderly participants to share and discuss past events and experiences, and to support them to fabricate a personalized life-story book. An occupational therapist provided ongoing support and monitoring. The elderly participants were evaluated by the Chinese version of Mini-mental State Examination, Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD), and Chinese version of Geriatric Depression Scale (CGDS) before and after the programme. Dementia Quiz (DQ), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a 20-item feedback questionnaire on the programme were used to evaluate the youth participants.
Significant pre- and postprogramme differences were found for QoL-AD (mean change = -1.91; 95% CI = -3.18, -0.64) and CGDS (mean change = 1.86; 95% CI = 0.92, 2.80) among the elderly participants, and for DQ (mean change = -1.14; 95% CI = -2.11, -0.17) among the youth participants. Volunteers also showed positive appreciation of older persons and opined that this community service provided them an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with elderly relatives. Some volunteers, however, commented the heavy workload of the reminiscence programme.
The intergenerational reminiscence programme suggests mutually beneficial values for both groups of participants. Whilst it is feasible to involve trained volunteers in the implementation of dementia-related programmes, it is essential that they are adequately trained and that ongoing support and monitoring are provided.
This study was aimed at evaluating whether a Life Review Group Program (LRGP) improved the self-esteem and life satisfaction in the elderly.
This randomized, controlled trial consisted of 75 elderly males from a Veterans' Home in Northern Taiwan, 36 of whom were in the experimental group and 39 of whom were in the control group. The subjects in the experimental group participated in an 8-week LRGP. Data were collected before and after the LRGP and again 1 month after the end of the program.
The study subjects had a mean age of 78.13 years. The generalized estimating equation was used to compare alterations in the self-esteem and life satisfaction of the elderly before and after the intervention. The alterations in self-esteem and life satisfaction in the experimental group after the LRGP were significantly improved compared to the control group. One month after the LRGP was completed, the self-esteem and life satisfaction of the experimental group continued to improve when compared with pre-intervention levels.
Based on these results, the LRGP can potentially improve the self-affirmation, confidence, and self-esteem of the elderly and promote short-term life satisfaction. The results of this study provide a model for clinical evidence-based therapy, serving as a reference for related studies and evaluation of health-promoting programs, as well as improving the health and quality of care of the elderly.
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