ABSTRACT
In the last few years there has been a very striking growth in awareness among workers with elderly people of the potential importance of reminiscence. The increase in application of what is sometimes called ‘reminiscence therapy’ in groupwork settings in hospitals, residential homes and day care establishments parallels in some ways the earlier growth of interest in reality orientation. There are also indications that it reflects genuine need. For example in the last number of Ageing Times the author reports that many older people wrote to the Centre for Policy on Ageing after Eric Midwinter’s recent TV series: “the interesting feature of many of the correspondents was their obvious need for the chance to recount life histories. Collectively they made a powerful case for more reminiscence groups”.
