Effectiveness of Reminiscence Therapy on Self-health Perception and Self-esteem among Elderly Residing at Selected Old Age Homes

Purpose: To assess the level of self-health perception and self-esteem among elderly residing at old age homes and to determine the effect of reminiscence therapy on the level of self-health perception and self-esteem.

Methods: Quasi-experimental pre-test post-test control group design was carried out on 80 elderly residing at old age homes selected by non-probability convenient sampling technique to test effectiveness of reminiscence therapy. The data was collected by using self-health perception scale consist 32 items and Rosenberg self-esteem scale consist 10 items.

Results: The result showed thatthere was a significant difference in self-esteem in the intervention group after the intervention (p=0.03<0.05) and there was no significant difference in self-esteem of the control group (p=0.83>0.05), whereas in self-health perception there was no significant difference in both intervention and control group (p=0.18 & 0.95>0.05). Between the groups there was no significant difference (p>0.05) found in the protest score of self-esteem and self-health perception between intervention and control group, while there is a significant difference found in post-test of self-esteem (p=0.002) and self-health perception score (p=0.004) between the groups. The obtained p values of chi-square and likelihood ratio test were >0.05. Only a few associations were found between both self-health perception and self-esteem with demographic variables that are sex and previous occupation/job in the control group.

Conclusion: Reminiscence therapy proved to be effective in improving self-esteem among elderly residing in selected old age homes at Mangaluru, whereas not shown effectiveness in improving self-health perception.