Reminiscence Therapy Activities For Dementia

Reminiscence therapy is a well-researched intervention that supports cognitive function, improves quality of life, and may even decrease depression in patients with dementia (Saragih et al., 2022; Woods et al., 2018)

In this article, you’ll find reminiscence therapy activities, plus the steps to doing this treatment.

What Is Reminiscence Therapy For Dementia?

Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of progressive, neurological conditions that impact cognition (particularly memory), language, swallowing, and many other functions. 

Reminiscence therapy (RT) is a well-supported dementia treatment (Saragih et al., 2022). It was first introduced in the 1980s and has since become one of the most popular psychosocial interventions for this population. 

Reminiscence therapy is a structured approach that focuses on patients’ long-term memories to stimulate cognition-communication abilities and emotional well-being (Cotelli et al., 2012).

RT targets recalling long-term memory, such as past events, as well as recent experiences. It does this in various ways, including storytelling, looking through photographs or memory books, or interacting with other personalized items (Cotelli et al., 2012).

Benefits Of Reminiscence Therapy (Plus What To Look Out For)

Reminiscence therapy can help your patient achieve functional communication, cognitive, and quality of life goals, including:

• Enhanced communication. Reminiscence therapy may help patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia improve verbal expression and conversational skills in both individual and group settings (Cuevas et al., 2020).
• Reduced anxiety, agitation, and depression. Talking about familiar topics can improve comfort, reduce levels of anxiety and depression, and decrease behavioral challenges (Saragih et al., 2022).
• Stimulates cognitive function. Recall of past events activates neural pathways in the brain and may stimulate cognitive abilities (Woods et al., 2018).
• Supports overall emotional well-being and self-esteem. Reflectiing on previous achievements and experiences can bring a feeling of self-worth and improve mood (Leckey, 2024)

Although reminiscence therapy can be very beneficial for patients with dementia and their care partners, there are caveats to keep in mind:

• Adapt. You must adapt RT to meet the patients’ cognitive and language ability levels.
• Be aware of emotional triggers that may cause distress.
• Encourage care partner and family involvement to enhance the effectiveness of RT.
• Adjust strategies as needed and keep RT functional.
• Not long-term treatment. Reminiscence therapy is not a long-term therapeutic approach. The goal is for family, carers, and staff to carry over reminiscence therapy after guidance from speech therapy!

How To Do Reminiscence Therapy?

Here are steps to planning and implementing an effective remniscence therapy session.

Step 1: Do A Speech Assessment & Interview

It’s best to complete a speech therapy assessment before starting reminiscence therapy. Having a good understanding of your patient’s cognitive and language strengths and weaknesses can help you develop an appropriate plan.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or “the MoCA,” is a popular and quick cognitive screen for patients with dementia. Here’s a link!

Read Speech Therapy Dementia Treatment & Assessment for more help, and see the Assessment Pack for ready-made templates.

During your interview, be sure to gather the patient’s relevant life history and complete a thorough background interview with family and care partners. Record the patient’s interests, past hobbies/jobs, and significant life events.

Step 2: Make A Reminiscence Therapy Plan

As you develop a treatment plan, remember to keep dementia treatment functional, meaningful, and within your scope of practice. This means focusing primarily on compensatory strategies and caregiver training.

Plan to incorporate or ask care partners to prepare personalized materials for reminiscence therapy. Here are a few examples:

• Familiar photographs, photo albums, and videos.
• A Memory Book (created by family/care partners after speech therapy education). Download our free Memory Book Template.
• Memorabilia from past life events, such as certificates, awards, books, and photographs.
• Favorite music, scents, or tactile objects (stuffed animals, etc.

Keep scrolling for more reminiscence therapy activities.

Step 3: Reminiscence Therapy Session

A reminiscence therapy session has 3 parts: Introduction, Engagement, and Conclusion. These are the steps to a reminiscence therapy session (although you don’t need to follow this order):

Introduction

• Establish rapport. Stick with familiar and comfortable topics.
• Provide a calm environment as well as comforting music, smells, etc. 

Engagement

• Ask questions to engage the patient based on their level of cognition.
• Incorporate visual aides to support comprehension and engagement.
• Encourage storytelling by using cues such as, “Tell me about where you grew up,” or, “What was your favorite holiday tradition?”
• Have group or one-on-one sessions based on individual preferences and what’s feasible for you and your patients.
• Use nonverbal cues (nodding, smiling, etc.) to maintain engagement.
• Validate emotions and redirect if you notice distress.

Conclusion

• Summarize key points and reinforce positive moments and memories.
• Provide the family with a summary of the session, along with strategies they can use with the patient.
• Encourage follow-up sessions with family, care partners, and staff.

Reminiscence Therapy Activities 

Here are reminiscence therapy activities and strategies to try with your patients:

1. Use visual aids. Family photos, old newspaper clippings, videos, and familiar objects can stimulate conversation and memory.
2. Create a Memory Box or Book: A collection of pictures or meaningful items can stimulate memory and language.
3. Incorporate familiar or favorite music. Music can elicit emotional responses and improve engagement. Put together a playlist to use during RT.
4. Multisensory stimulation. Scents, tastes, textures, and familiar objects associated with past experiences can enhance memory recall. Examples are painting, crafts, comforting snacks, and scent cards.
5. Adapt reminiscence therapy to current cognitive levels. Use open-ended questions or yes/no choices depending on the patient’s communication and cognition abilities.
6. Person-centered. Adjust for each patient. Give choices and modify activities when needed. Give enough time and help for patients to be successful. Choose adult (vs childish) tasks and materials. And keep it fun! (Aguirre et al, 2012).

Visit our shop for speech therapy materials designed for people with dementia and other common diagnoses.

For more guidance, The Adult Speech Therapy Roadmap course is a step-by-step guide to doing the job of adult speech therapy. Perfect for new grads or clinicians transitioning from pediatrics.

References

• Aguirre E., Spector A., Streater A., Hoe J., Woods B., and Orrell M. (2012). Making a Difference 1: An evidence-based group programme to offer maintenance cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) to people with dementia. (2nd ed.). Hawker Publication. 
• Brewer, C., Aparo, M. (2021) The Adult Speech Therapy Starter Pack. Harmony Road Design Publishing.
• Cotelli, M., Manenti, R., & Zanetti, O. (2012). Reminiscence therapy in dementia: a review. Maturitas, 72(3), 203–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2012.04.008
• Cuevas, P. E. G., Davidson, P. M., Mejilla, J. L., & Rodney, T. W. (2020). Reminiscence therapy for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease: A literature review. International journal of mental health nursing, 29(3), 364–371. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12692
• Han, Y., Zhu, B., Huang, D., Lan, Y., Zhong, H., Zhang, Y., Zhou, H., Liu, C., & Zhou, P. (2025). Efficacy of reminiscence therapy in improving cognitive decline: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 46(3), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-024-07905-x
• Leckey, S., (2024, August 08). Reminiscence Therapy for People Living with Dementia. Montessori Dementia Center. https://montessoridementia.ca/reminiscence-therapy/
• Saragih, I. D., Tonapa, S. I., Yao, C. T., Saragih, I. S., & Lee, B. O. (2022). Effects of reminiscence therapy in people with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, 29(6), 883–903. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12830
• Woods, B., O’Philbin, L., Farrell, E. M., Spector, A. E., & Orrell, M. (2018). Reminiscence therapy for dementia. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 3(3), CD001120. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001120.pub3