17 Easy Steps to Implement a Successful Reminiscing Activity for Seniors

To recollect and tell of past experiences and events is to reminisce.  Reminiscing has a profound value especially in the mid stages of Alzheimer’s disease because long term memory is relatively intact. Reminiscing is valuable because it becomes a mechanism for change.  It helps an individual sum up his or her life and put the various pieces in order. Through this process, one can achieve peace and harmony.

Having a hard time thinking of how to implement a successful reminiscing activity? Here are useful steps to guide you.

1. Complete a personal profile on every resident who participates in a reminiscing activity. This will help to identify key areas relating to the past.
2. Plan each activity carefully. Determine group size based on stages, behaviors, staffing, activity room, etc. Four to seven participants is considered the ideal size for a reminiscing group.
3. Choose a comfortable, quiet, well-lit room for group reminiscing.
4. Have one focus or theme for each reminiscing session.
5. Use multi-sensory materials and props to stimulate memory.
6. Incorporate music related to the reminiscing theme. Use music for listening as well as for singing.
7. Ask open-ended questions. These questions cannot be answered with a mere ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ (Example -- Tell me about the first car you owned).
8. Phrase each question carefully so the resident does not feel uncomfortable when not able to answer.
9. Focus on the resident who is reminiscing. Use prompting only when needed.
10. Never interrupt -- wait for a natural pause in the conversation.
11. Go slowly -- allow enough time for the resident to absorb what is being said and enough time to respond.
12. Be sensitive to topics that may be uncomfortable, unpleasant or stressful. If a topic appears to make the resident uneasy, ask if he or she wishes to discontinue the conversation or talk at another time. Never urge a resident to “reveal” something that he or she does not wish to discuss.
13. Include “paired reminiscing” (sharing your memories and experiences related to the topic).
14. Be observant to any changes in a resident’s condition. You may have to adapt questions, group size, length of activity, etc.
15. At the end of each reminiscing session emphasize that you will cherish the memories that everyone has shared.
16. Provide stimuli for one-to-one reminiscing. (Memory boxes, scrap books, photographs, posters, props, personal mementos, etc.)
17. And always -- gain trust and respect residents’ right to privacy.

Functions and benefits of reminiscing

• Through reminiscing, a person can be put in touch with a more integrated self.
• Reminiscing helps preserve both a personal and collective history.
• Reminiscing can promote self-understanding.
• Reminiscing has a calming effect by speaking about pleasant experiences from the past.
• Reminiscing can increase a person’s feelings of integrity and self-worth.
• Reminiscing can validate a person’s contributions, interests and feelings.
• Reminiscing stimulates the senses.
• Reminiscing can help maintain or increase concentration and attention span.
• Reminiscing can provide a person with a sense of pride, accomplishment, satisfaction, enjoyment, and enthusiasm.
• Reminiscing in a group presents opportunities for socialization.

Reminiscing and discussion "Childhood Memories"

Childhood is the most precious time of our lives, when we have everything to hope for and find constant wonder in the world around us. It is a time of excitement, happiness, sadness and tears, mischief-making, innocence and anxieties, but above all it is a time to love, to learn and to grow.

Plan a reminiscing/discussion on childhood. Ask residents prior to the activity to bring a special childhood photo if they have one.

“Know what it is to be a child... It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its soul.” Francis
Thompson (1859 - 1907)

Read the following. Ask residents to comment on what comes to mind.

1. Monday’s child is fair of face,
2. Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
3. Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
4. Thursday’s child has far to go,
5. Friday’s child is loving and giving,
6. Saturday’s child works hard for his living,
7. But a child that is born on the Sabbath day
8. Is fair and wise and good and gay.  (Anonymous)

Questions for reminiscing and discussion

Recall a moment of meaning from your early family life and share it with others in the group.

• What is your earliest childhood memory?
• Was childhood a happy time for you? Why? Why not?
• How many brothers and sisters? Were you the youngest? oldest? middle child?
• Where did you live? Describe the house.
• Describe the yard. What games and activities did you play in your yard?
• Did you have an attic in your house? Did you play in the attic? Describe your adventures.
• What chores were you responsible for?
• What was your favorite nursery rhyme? Let’s recite it. 
• Who was your best friend? What was so special about this friend?
• What do you remember about early school days?
• How far away was the school?
• What was your favorite subject?
• Who was your favorite teacher? Why was she so special?
• How did you do on your report card?
• Describe your favorite toys as a child.
• What was your favorite hobby?
• What was your favorite game?
• Describe your favorite place to play.
• Did you play any sports? Which ones?
• Did you have a pet? What kind? What was its name?
• What was your favorite childhood song? Let’s sing it.
• What was your favorite fairy tale? What was special about it? Who read it to you before you could read?
• What were your favorite candies?  What do you remember about the following: Hershey's Kisses; Baby Ruth; Sky Bar; Tootsie Roll; M&Ms
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

REMINISCING: 10 Most Popular Foods From the 50’s

What are your memories of preparation and or being served?

On a white board write the names of the most popular foods of the 1950’s.

1. Baked Alaska
2. Chicken pot pie
3. Deviled eggs
4. Gelatin & fruit salad molds 
5. Meatloaf
6. Melon boat salad
7. Shrimp puffs
8. Spaghetti with meat sauce
9. Swanson Frozen Dinners
10. Tuna Noodle Casserole

Going around the room, ask each person to choose their favorite from the list. Have each person tell why the one they chose was their favorite.

If they get off topic and talk about another food, that is okay, because the discussion is still inspiring/encouraging reminiscence.

Examples: Questions you might ask:

How old were you in the 1950’s?
Who did the cooking?
Do you still enjoy this food as an adult?

Baked Alaska

Why is baked Alaska referred to as a housewife’s favorite?

Baked Alaska (ice cream and sponge cake encased in toasted meringue) ovens in the 1950s made this dessert a housewife favorite.

Considered easy but elegant, Baked Alaska (supposedly) impressed guests with its colorful Neapolitan interior and its melding of hot and cold components.

The especially daring host might skip the oven entirely and set the whole thing aflame with a kitchen torch.

Chicken pot pie

Why is chicken pot pie called “the old American standby?” How would you describe the flavor? Did your crust come out flaky? If so, what was your secret?

Deviled Eggs

What is your recipe for deviled eggs?

During what seasons were deviled eggs most popular?

For what occasions did you have deviled eggs? (e.g. staple hors d'oeuvre at backyard barbecues and cocktail parties.

Most recipes call for a spring of paprika. What did this add to the recipe? A sprinkle of paprika added just enough zest to prevent them from tasting bland.

Meatloaf

What ingredients did you add to a meatloaf? (Add a side of buttery mashed potatoes and a tall glass of whole milk and you've got the quintessential '50s feast.)

Swanson Frozen Dinners (first introduced in 1954) 

The first Swanson-brand TV Dinner consisted of a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, cornbread dressing, frozen peas and sweet potatoes packaged in a tray like those used at the time for airline food service. The cost was 98 cents.

Why were they called TV dinners? Which one was your favorite? How often did you serve them? Why were TV dinners called America’s favorite fake home-cooked meal?

Which TV dinner was and is the most popular? roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes and corn)

Spaghetti with meat sauce

Did you use the thicker or the thinner spaghetti? Which was the most popular in your family? How did you make your spaghetti sauce? Did you ever use sauce from the jar and tell everyone you made it from scratch? If so, were you believed or did you “get caught?”

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Although there are numerous variations on tuna casserole, historically it is made with egg noodles, chopped onion, shredded cheddar cheese, frozen green peas, canned and drained tuna, condensed cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup, sliced mushrooms and crushed potato chips.

The original Betty Crocker recipe called specifically for Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and B&B Mushrooms. Sometimes this dish is topped with potato chips, corn flakes, bread crumbs or canned fried onions.

What topping, if any, did you have on tuna noodle casserole? Why do you think this casserole was so popular in the 1950’s? (Mainly because the ingredients were inexpensive and easy to find at the supermarket.)

REMEMBERING TV SHOWS DEBUTS - 1951

Reminisce about the following shows.

The first long-running soap opera, “Search for Tomorrow,” was broadcast on CBS in 1951. It first aired as a 15-minute serial. Procter & Gamble used the show to advertise “Joy” dish-washing liquid and “Spic and Span” household cleaner.

As the show's ratings boosted, additional sponsors started purchasing commercial time. Both "Joy" and "Spic and Span" continued to be the primary products and Procter & Gamble advertised on the show well into the 1960s. The final episode aired on NBC after 35 years in 1986.

"I Love Lucy," starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley, originally ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957. The show almost never made it to the air because CBS had difficulty securing a sponsor.

Finally tobacco giant Philip Morris signed on. As a result, lots of smoking was featured in each episode, and the name “Philip Morris” was worked into the dialogue whenever plausible.

The show topped the Nielsen ratings for four out of its six seasons and won several Emmys. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version continued for three more seasons with 13 one-hour specials; it ran from 1957 to 1960. It was first called “The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show” and later in reruns as “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.”

“Dragnet” aired in black-and-white from 1951–1959; and then Series Two aired from 1967 to 1970. The show portrayed the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners.

The show takes its name from the police term "dragnet" meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. “Dragnet” is regarded as the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history.

The series gave audience members a feel for the danger and heroism of police work and it earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. The show’s opening narration was: "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."

The Roy Rogers Show aired 100 episodes from 1951 to 1957 on NBC. Roy Rogers, “King of the Cowboys.” starred as a ranch owner and Dale Evans as the proprietress of the Eureka Hotel and Cafe in fictional Mineral City.

Pat Brady starred as Roy’s sidekick and Dale's cook. Animal stars were Roy's Palomino horse Trigger, who was featured in all 100 episodes and his German Shepherd Bullet, the "Wonder Dog". Dale Evans wrote the theme song, “Happy Trails to You.”

References
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