The effects of a life review program on disorientation, social interaction and self-esteem of nursing home residents.

This study examined the effects on veteran and novice participants of a life review program designed for nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease or severe cognitive disfunction. Using a pre-post test experimental design, veterans, novices and the control group were tested for changes in disorientation, social interaction, and self-esteem. The results confirm the findings of an earlier study [1] that there is an impact of the Life Review Program on level of disorientation, social interaction and life review. There is some evidence to suggest that the improvements may be somehow stored in memory and triggered when the program is repeated.