The Effect of Group Reminiscence on Happiness and Life Expectancy of Elderly

The elderly population has been steadily increasing. The discussion about aging and ways of reducing problems which were exposed in this period is one of the most common issues in modern societies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate effectiveness of group reminiscence on happiness and life expectancy of elderly in Tehran city. This research was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group. The study population consisted all of people 60 years old in Tehran. Sample of 30 eligible elderly was selected by convenience sampling method and were assigned randomly in 2 groups of 15 individuals. Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and Miller's life expectancy were used to collect data. Then group reminiscence therapy was administered on experimental group in 8 sessions and finally posttest was taken from experimental and control groups. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Levin and Covariance were used to analyze data. The findings suggested that group reminiscence therapy can increase happiness and life expectancy of elderly in experimental group (P>0.05). According to this study's results, it is recommended that health system officials take step towards increasing happiness and life expectancy of elderly by introducing and training reminiscence to families, counselors and social workers in elderly care centers
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