Beyond Reminiscence

Abstract

Videos and multimedia are increasingly used to stimulate reminiscence in dementia care. However, they are also valuable in eliciting a wide range of language patterns that are not necessarily keyed to reminiscence about self. Low-technology, home-made generic and personalized videos were tested with 2 samples of persons with dementia, to increase engagement and support the retention of identity. Participants showed a slight, though not significant, preference for looking first at personalized videos and produced a wider range of conversational language topics and phrasal patterns in response to the generic videos.