Life review has been defined as "a retrospective survey of existence, a critical study of a life, or a second look at one's life." It involves recalling one's entire lifespan, both positive and negative events, evaluating things in the presence of a sympathetic listener. The hope is that by reflecting on their lives people find meaning and integrate their experiences into a satisfactory whole. Researchers from Texas Woman's University spoke to 13 older women who had taken part in a Therapeutic Life Review intervention programme delivered in six, forty-minute sessions by home-care workers. They analysed the women's responses and found five main themes:
- Someone was there to listen to my story
- It was a special time
- A valued interaction with the home-care worker developed
- Remembering was meaningful and pleasurable
- Integration with one's lived experiences was healing
Binder, Brenda K. ... [et al] - Community-dwelling, older women's perspectives on therapeutic life review: a qualitative analysis Issues in Mental Health Nursing 30(5), 288-294
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