JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Reminiscence therapy is a non-invasive, non-pharmacological intervention that has been shown to improve cognition, mood, functional status, quality of life, and apathy in older adults. Group reminiscence therapy combines structured social engagement and recounting of personal stories that address both social connection (a risk factor for cognitive decline) and cognition. Life story club (LSC) is an established, non-profit organization that provides virtual, group reminiscence therapy for older adults to reduce loneliness and promote a sense of belonging and has not been formally studied.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of a LSC intervention to improve lonelA prospective, single-arm, single-center, pilot study will be conducted to compare loneliness and apathy in 50 individuals without dementia at baseline who receive a virtual group reminiscence therapy intervention (vGRT). The intervention will be delivered weekly over 12 weeks. Loneliness will be assessed with the UCLA Loneliness scale and apathy will be assessed with the Apathy Evaluation Scale before and after the intervention. Feasibility will be assessed using quantitative and qualitative measures including retention, refusal rate, and program satisfaction. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of 30 individuals to explore acceptability, barriers, and facilitators of the intervention. iness and apathy in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods:

A prospective, single-arm, single-center, pilot study will be conducted to compare loneliness and apathy in 50 individuals without dementia at baseline who receive a virtual group reminiscence therapy intervention (vGRT). The intervention will be delivered weekly over 12 weeks. Loneliness will be assessed with the UCLA Loneliness scale and apathy will be assessed with the Apathy Evaluation Scale before and after the intervention. Feasibility will be assessed using quantitative and qualitative measures including retention, refusal rate, and program satisfaction. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of 30 individuals to explore acceptability, barriers, and facilitators of the intervention.

Results:

Regulatory approval has been obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee and funding applications are in process. The duration of the study will be for 3 months.

Conclusions:

This study will provide evidence for the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a vGRT for community dwelling older adults to prevent cognitive decline.