Communication is an essential aspect in gerontological nursing because it forms the foundation of the nurse-patient relationship. Reminiscence is a type of therapeutic communication in which the patient recalls pleasant memories or events (Tabloski, 2014). In this post, I will discuss the significance of reminiscence to me, my nursing experiences with reminiscing with the elderly, how watching the “See me, Nurse” video affected me, changes I will make in my practice, and difficulties in providing nursing care to patients with different backgrounds.
Reminiscing is a bigger part of my life than I like to admit to friends and family. Since my grandparents and father passed away, there are times in which I spend a lot of time looking through stacks of old pictures trying to reconstruct pieces of my childhood. As I’m getting older, I also look back at my life as a young adult and relive some of those fun and crazy moments. The psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Butler wrote in the 1960s that when older adults are approaching death, reminiscing helps put their lives in perspective. Reminiscence therapy is an intervention that provides patients with comfort, self-esteem, and fulfillment in a one-on-one or group sessions. This gives the elderly …show more content…
Unfortunately that doesn’t provide much time to use reminiscence therapy. In a former job, I worked in a subacute long-term care hospital and even though it was fast-paced and stressful, the patients stay averaged 8 weeks or more so there was time to develop an interpersonal relationship with patients and family members. The patients’ medical condition required a lot of bedside care so it was much easier to use reminiscence therapy. In my experiences Patients seemed to enjoy talking about their past lives when they were healthier as well as current experiences with children and
Reminiscing is a bigger part of my life than I like to admit to friends and family. Since my grandparents and father passed away, there are times in which I spend a lot of time looking through stacks of old pictures trying to reconstruct pieces of my childhood. As I’m getting older, I also look back at my life as a young adult and relive some of those fun and crazy moments. The psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Butler wrote in the 1960s that when older adults are approaching death, reminiscing helps put their lives in perspective. Reminiscence therapy is an intervention that provides patients with comfort, self-esteem, and fulfillment in a one-on-one or group sessions. This gives the elderly …show more content…
Unfortunately that doesn’t provide much time to use reminiscence therapy. In a former job, I worked in a subacute long-term care hospital and even though it was fast-paced and stressful, the patients stay averaged 8 weeks or more so there was time to develop an interpersonal relationship with patients and family members. The patients’ medical condition required a lot of bedside care so it was much easier to use reminiscence therapy. In my experiences Patients seemed to enjoy talking about their past lives when they were healthier as well as current experiences with children and