Life is beautiful: Using reminiscence groups to promote well-being among Chinese older people with mild dementia

This paper describes the design and implementation of a reminiscence group for Chinese older people with mild dementia at a Hong Kong nursing home. Specifi cally, participant observation indicated that such groupwork resulted in improved social, cognitive, and motor skills, and increased display of positive affect. Thus, this project provides evidence of the relevance of reminiscence groupwork for older people from a Chinese cultural background; most particularly, its ability to create a feeling of family among group members while allowing them to keep memories of their loved ones alive through informative reminiscence. Overall, the fi ndings suggest that reminiscence groupwork is conducive to the physical and mental well-being of older Chinese with dementia and contributes positively to their healthy, successful ageing.