Effect of reminiscence therapy on cognitive function of elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of reminiscence therapy on cognitive function of elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Methods 40 elderly patients with MCI were randomly divided into test group (n=20) and control group (n=20). The control group was only given the general care; besides the general care, the test group was given reminiscence therapy for 4 months. The effects were evaluated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and Activities of Daily Living (ADL).Results After 4 months, there was significant difference between both groups in the scores of MMSE, MOCA and ADL (P 0.05). MOCA, ADL scores were significantly better than those before the intervention in the test group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in MMSE scores compared with that before the intervention.Conclusions Reminiscence therapy could improve cognitive function of elderly patients with MCI. Key words: Mild cognitive impairment; Cognitive function; Elderly; Reminiscence therapy