Page 471 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

438 n REMINISCENCE

what has gone before. Encountering the joys creating a tool to examine nursing student’s
of reminiscence is often an “aha” moment for attitudes was well done with a large enough
R nursing clinicians, and thus they continue to sample size and good analyses. I encourage
publish stories of their surprising success with other nurses to use and reaffirm the tool
reminiscence and with their clients because when they wish to look at and use reminis-
it is a discovery they wish to share. Thus, cence with their nursing students.
the nursing work in reminiscence this past Caring and communicating with
decade is a mixture of research and clinical patients who have dementia has been an
reporting that essentially falls into four cat- important area of interest for nurses over
egories: education, dementia, end of life, and the last decade. Reminiscing and life review
psychological well-being. Nurses use a vari- have been tested as tools and interventions
ety of methodologies to include both quanti- for reaching such patients. lai, Chi, and
tative and qualitative methods, case studies, Kayser-Jones (2004) conducted a randomized
and clinical reports. Nursing research would controlled trial to see if a specific reminis-
improve in this area if more editors refused cence program led to higher levels of psycho-
publications that do not include at least some social well-being in nursing home residents
of the research basis in this field. Nursing who have dementia. They found a significant
knowledge should really be beyond publish- improvement in well-being for those in the
ing what an individual nurse believes to be a intervention group. Moos and Bjorn (2006)
new discovery rather than a work based on a reviewed 28 intervention studies using the
previous database and the extant literature. life story as intervention for nursing home
Nurses have discovered that reminis- residents with dementia but reported that the
cence can be an effective tool for educating studies were too diverse in methodologies to
their students. One educator used a reminis- be able to make a positive blanket statement
cence education program to help students regarding their efficacy. They recommended
appreciate other cultures, thus preparing more rigorous designs that measured a few
more caring and knowledgeable students. precociously defined quantitative outcomes.
While doing this, Shellman (2006) created a Recently, Haight, Gibson, and Michele (2006)
tool to examine student nurse’s confidence conducted a study in Northern Ireland using
in caring for ethnically diverse elders. She a structured form of life review with people
used a large sample of 248 students from who have dementia living in care settings.
seven schools of nursing. Principal factor A multivariate analysis of covariance deter-
analysis revealed a four-factor structure mined significant change by group, particu-
accounting for 61% of the variance that larly on depression (p = .015), communication
provided a useful tool for nurse educators. (p = .005), and cognition (p = .0005).
Shellman (2007) then reported on the effec- End-of-life care provides a natural labora-
tiveness of the tool used with her students tory for testing reminiscence and life review.
after they participated in an integrative Using life review is almost a natural segue
reminiscence program with older people for people who are dying when they wish to
during their community health practicum. put the past in order before they leave their
Those that received the reminiscence pro- present life. When life review is used in ter-
gram were significantly higher in cultural minal care, it must be suited to the needs of
self-efficacy than those who did not. There the patient who may be very weak and tired.
is more in the literature about nursing edu- Time for the sessions can be shorter, and the
cators using life review and reminiscence sessions themselves can be more frequent
than there was prior to this decade, but most while the dying person still has strength.
of what is there is still observational report- Often at this stage of life, the dying patient
ing. However Shellman’s (2007) work in will initiate the life review themselves and