.

Reminiscence groups carried out in care homes, day centers and community centers are an excellent way of getting to know others, understanding the participants’ roots and working life history. I have found that it is quite often a way of boosting confidence and self esteem for the older person. Here at Reminiscence Resources we are aiming to collect and offer ready made reminiscence kits at an affordable cost for your care home or day center or indeed for use on a one to one basis.

I am in the midst of developing reminiscence kits which will be on sale on the site in the forth coming months and at the same time building up an interesting social history photo gallery for the site. The reminiscence kits and Talkabout booklets I believe help to provide a window into the past for older people where they can identify and celebrate their long and fascinating life history.

Having worked as a reminiscence tutor I have found that the most popular topics for discussion in a reminiscence group are usually home life, housework, childhood and school, working life, seaside and holiday together with many other themes.

There can be many benefits to staff as well as the elderly in taking part in a reminiscence activity/group as this provides a platform for the elderly person to speak and show others in the group that they have had a long personal and social history which they very often would like to share with others. A reminiscence group leader should encourage the participants to share memories from their working days, or their home lives which in turn should strengthen their sense of identity and increase confidence and self esteem.

Reminiscence sessions can also help staff to understand and appreciate the individuality of those they care for on a day to day basis thus encouraging better communication and most importantly, a reminiscence session should be fun and an enjoyable activity!