Reminiscing is a Beneficial Practice for Older Adults

Experts say reminiscing about the past can have a healthy, grounding effect on older adults, including those who are dealing with dementia. "With advancing age, when your footprint in the world is shrinking and your social network is getting smaller, reminiscing helps people tap into their own inner resilience, to recognize 'I've done interesting and meaningful things and I still have them inside me'," notes clinical psychologist Dr. Tom Meuser.

Aging is no big deal, I thought. I grew up around grandparents and great-grandparents and as a teen and young adult I worked in nursing homes. My friends were often at least a decade older than me. Always focused on the future, with each new decade I felt stronger, more confident and content.

 I was surprised when, new to my sixth decade, I found myself looking back at the past and thinking, does this mean I'm old? I'm not ready for that! Searching the web and academic literature, I realized I'd stepped right into a stereotype about older people — that they live in the past.

According to Dr. Gerben J. Westerhof, narrative psychology researcher at the University of Twente in The Netherlands, most people reminisce from time to time, regardless of their age.

"Few people really live in their past," he said. "About half of older adults engage spontaneously in a more systematic review of their lives. You might say they live of their past rather than in their past."

While for some people, looking back can evoke bitterness or be a way of escaping current problems, more often we benefit from looking back. "It's grounding," said Dr. Tom Meuser, clinical psychologist and director of the Center for Excellence in Aging & Health at the University of New England.

Meuser's 85-year-old former executive father returned to his hometown after he retired. He meets weekly at a diner with a small group of high school friends to reminisce.

Reminiscing Can Help Tap Into Resilience

"With advancing age, when your footprint in the world is shrinking and your social network is getting smaller, reminiscing helps people tap into their own inner resilience, to recognize 'I've done interesting and meaningful things and I still have them inside me'," said Meuser.

Looking back on our life can help us remember past coping strategies, understand others better and improve our sense of well-being. Because looking back is so natural and helpful for most people, it's also used in formal ways by professionals and caretakers to help people with dementia and depressive symptoms.

By Christina Leimer, nextavenue; https://www.nextavenue.org/looking-back-doesnt-mean-im-old-but-i-thought-it-might/

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay