The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 3-week, six-session Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) reminiscence intervention on the level of depression among elderly women residing in one assisted-living long-term care facility using a pre-test--post-test, quasi-experimental design. A convenience sample of 30 women (M = 81.7 years) participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, an experimental group that received the NIC reminiscence intervention and a comparison group that received the customary reminiscence intervention used within the assisted living long-term care facility. Depression was measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (Brink et al., 1982). Pre-test geriatric depression scores revealed the initial levels of depression were similar for participants in both the experimental and control groups. Post-test geriatric depression scores indicated those participating in the NIC reminiscence group had significantly lower depression scores compared to those participating in the facility's customary reminiscence group. The findings of this study suggest that a nurse-initiated intervention, NIC reminiscence therapy, was an effective treatment in reducing symptoms of depression among elderly women.

This article explores the potential for the use of reminiscence therapy as an effective means of reducing depression among institutionalized, rural-dwelling elders, especially elderly women. Reminiscence therapy is a nurse-initiated intervention that has the advantages of being cost-effective, therapeutic, social, and recreational for the institutionalized older adult. As a communicative psychosocial process, reminiscence therapy has proven to be a valuable intervention for the depressed elderly client (Cully, LaVoie, & Gfeller, 2001; Haight & Hendrix, 1998; Haight, Michel, & Hendrix, 1998, 2000). It has been shown that depressed elders living in rural areas resist treatment from mental health services for a variety of different reasons (Molinari, Boeve, Kunik, & Snow-Turek, 1999; Neese, Abraham, & Buckwalter, 1999). For those elders, reminiscence therapy may prove an extremely beneficial alternative to more traditional treatment modalities in reducing the effects of depression and depressive symptoms.

The results showed that the overall climate within the operating theatre for medical undergraduates in one UK Medical School was good with no gender differences in the overall scores.

Abstract:Purpose: To describe screening measures that will determine which clients are at risk For the metabolic syndrome, common manifestations of the syndrome, preventive diagnostic considerations, and management and treatment options that primary care providers can implement.