Please reply to Geoffrey H. – Please note minimum of 200 words. No sources citation needed.
Geoffrey H posted:
Life review is a form of therapy that requires adults to look back at past achievements, trauma, and life experiences to gain a sense of empowerment in their life (Nall, 2018). Not everyone will benefit from this type of therapy; however, it can place a sense of worth and perspective on one’s current life and needs if they were to question their self-worth or place in life. Reconstructing past life experiences, positive or negative, can help psychiatric and elderly populations accept their present conditions and bring a sense of self-worth that is lacking in their life (Sharif, 2018). Recent studies have shown that elderly patients exposed to multiple sessions of life review therapy significantly improved their quality of life compared to those who did not receive the same therapy (Sharif, 2018). These findings give healthcare professionals another tool in their arsenal to fight isolation, depression, and loss of self-worth in a population that continues to grow in this country.
Elderly patients face the prospect of end-of-life decisions, depression, and anxiety in their later years. It is up to healthcare professionals to provide alternatives to medication to help treat those feelings. Benefits of life review therapy include increasing self-esteem, treating depression, and increasing self-worth (Nall, 2018). The ultimate goal of life review therapy involves a patient recollecting what may seem like ordinary life events and assigning significant meaning to them to help create a sense of accomplishment. A patient may forget or not realize the significance of raising a family or graduating with a degree, and this therapy helps assign importance to these life events.
Ordinary remembering is just that; it is the callback and recollection of memories or significant events in one’s life. Most of us can do this without issue; however, it is more challenging for those patients with memory impairment, and the therapy offers hope to remember and assign symbolic importance to those memories. Even if a patient has a solid recall and memory of their past life experiences, they may not be able to understand and assign importance to these memories. The larger picture of life review forces patients to bridge memories and past achievements into meaningful accomplishments that garner dignity in the present. Life review also requires the patient to share their stories and accomplishments with other group members, forcing socialization and interactions in one’s social life (Sharif, 2018). In addition to the patient receiving therapy, family members may benefit from the use of life review by learning things they never knew of their loved one and seeing them develop a sense of confidence and respect for themselves in their later years (Nall, 2018).
References
Nall, R. N. (2018, May 29). What is life review therapy? Headline.Com. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/life-review-therapy
Sharif, F., PhD, Jahanbin, I., MS, Amirsadat, A., MS, & Hosseini Moghadam, M., MS (2018). Effectiveness of Life Review Therapy on Quality of Life in the Late Life at Day Care Centers of Shiraz, Iran: A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of community-based nursing and midwifery, 6(2), 136–145.
Please reply to Jennifer V – Please note minimum of 200 words. No sources citation needed.
Jennifer V posted:
Life review versus ordinary remembering
There are many thoughts behind having an individual reflect on their past life and perhaps share with their significant other, close friends, and loved ones. A life review is different from a person having an ordinary memory from their past. Everyday memory is a reminiscence of particular periods or events of a person’s past life (Nall, 2018).
Life review is when the individual studies many memories to analyze how they come together throughout their lifetime. There are many ways a person may benefit from a life review. Life reviews can empower older adults to find hope, value, and meaning in life when they may be facing the end of their life. Life reviews may be a treatment option for an older adult suffering from anxiety or depression. Life review may also improve one’s self-esteem through one realizing the significance of their accomplishments in life (Nall, 2018).
People who may benefit from a life review are individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, someone diagnosed with anxiety or depression, someone with a terminal illness, or someone who has lost a loved one. Therapists will center life reviews around themes or specific periods in a person’s life. The therapist may also suggest the patient bring a memento to enhance their sharing experiences, such as music, photos, letters, or family trees (Nall, 2018).
The themes typically used in life review therapy are centered around education, schooling, experiences in aging, the health of a person, literature, milestones (such as marriage, first home, being in the service, first job, first date, first car), significant events in history, major turning points, music, purpose, and values. Life review therapy allows older adults to reflect on their past and gives them a sense of contentment. This therapy can help put a person’s life into perspective (Nall, 2018).
There have been times sitting with my mom, and we will talk about things that have happened in her past but until now I never really gave much thought about there being a difference between a life review versus ordinary remembering. I will now plan to make time to sit down with her and really get to know more about how her many memories come together to complete her. I only wish I had known about this information sooner before my father passed away, so I had the opportunity to learn more about his life review.
Reference
Nall, R. (2018, May 30). Life review therapy. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/life-review-therapy
