Reminiscence Therapy and Activities for Seniors with Dementia in Baltimore County

Loneliness and a lack of social engagement can be detrimental to a person with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, as well as family caregivers. Fortunately, reminiscence therapy can help.

To reminisce is to remember past events in a pleasurable way. During reminiscence therapy, older adults have the opportunity to discuss their memories and past experiences with others, which can create a sense of validation and fulfillment.

We all can lighten our mood by looking back and recalling fond memories. But for aging adults experiencing cognitive decline, reminiscence therapy services also help to engage the individual with their environment, reigniting curiosity and wonder.

At our state-of-the-art memory care facility in Baltimore County, our seniors also gain a sense of community. They can reminisce with their peers, loved ones, and our caring and well-trained nursing staff. They also have access to a range of themed activity spaces, all specially designed to evoke pleasant memories of one of America’s most iconic and nostalgic time periods.

Reminiscence therapy is a powerful modern community-based treatment for cognitive disorders pioneered by George G. Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers, but the roots of this therapy go back even further.

In the 1960s, psychologists first realized that people can approach their golden years with ease when they have the opportunity to look back at their life and put it into perspective. Through reminiscing, seniors can experience greater self-confidence while finding meaning in their memories.

Reminiscence therapy today takes this therapeutic modality a step further by offering an interactive environment. Instead of simply discussing the past, our facility itself sparks memories and brings seniors back to a time when they were young.

In this reminiscent space, seniors tend to feel content, valued, at peace, and at home.

Reminiscence therapy uses pictures, videos, objects, or entire immersive environments to stimulate mental activity and evoke memories. At Town Square in Perry Hall, we’ve created themed storefronts that engage all five senses to inspire memories of the past.

Each of the 12 environments at our facility offers something different, whether it’s the aroma of dishes our members remember eating as a teenager or photographs and films that bring them back to the 1950s and ’60s.

Our reminiscence therapy services in Maryland also include other therapeutic activities for seniors, including art therapy and physical fitness programs.

This type of memory therapy improves cognitive ability, self-confidence, and overall well-being. Even better, at our Baltimore County senior care facility, your loved one can reminisce the way they want.

Seniors might choose to talk about memories, helping them feel less alone, while also having the opportunity to socialize with others from their generation.

Additionally, those with dementia can simply be themselves, enjoying the moment in a place that might feel more familiar. People with dementia tend to recall their childhoods more easily than recent events, so being in a space that reminds them of the past can feel more comfortable.

Feeling at ease in a welcoming place where they can engage in everyday activities, like enjoying a meal at a diner straight out of the 1950s or watching a classic movie at an old-time movie theater, helps to reduce the stress, anxiousness, and frustration that can come with cognitive decline.