Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work for Older Adults in Long-Term Institutional Care
Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment · Psychological Well-Being · Quality of Life
What this study involves
The registry does not currently label this study as recruiting. Ask about its status before planning a screening visit.
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Age range
- 60 years - Not specified
- Sex eligible
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Participants
- 44 Estimated
These are starting points, not an eligibility decision. The research team must review the full requirements.
About the research
The goal of this clinical trial is to find out whether a reminiscence therapy-based social group work intervention (AT-GSH) improves psychological well-being, quality of life, and cognitive status in older adults living in long-term institutional care who are at risk of mild cognitive impairment.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does AT-GSH improve psychological well-being shortly after the intervention?
- Does AT-GSH improve psychological well-being at the 12-week follow-up?
- Does AT-GSH improve quality of life and cognitive status shortly after the intervention and at the 12-week follow-up?
The study plans to include 44 adults aged 60 years or older who meet the study's screening criteria. Participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group or a wait-list control group.
Participants in the intervention group will attend a preparation meeting followed by eight weekly, 60-minute face-to-face sessions in closed groups of 6 to 10 members. The sessions will involve recalling, sharing, and reflecting on memories from different periods of life.
Researchers will compare this group with participants in the wait-list control group, who will continue receiving the institution's usual health, care, and social activity services.
Participants in the intervention group will complete assessments before the intervention, within 1 to 7 days after the final intervention session, and 12 weeks (plus or minus one week) after the final session. Participants in the wait-list control group will complete assessments during the same calendar weeks. The main comparison will focus on psychological well-being shortly after the intervention, taking initial psychological well-being scores into account.
After the final follow-up assessment, the wait-list control group will be offered the same intervention on a voluntary basis.
Read the full description
AT-GSH is a structured social group work intervention grounded in an existential social work approach. The intervention combines structured reminiscence activities with group interaction and reflection on personal life experiences. It is guided by social work principles, including self-determination, respect for human dignity, voluntary participation, and mutual aid.
The intervention will be delivered by the researcher, who is a social worker, at a nursing home affiliated with Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Turkiye. Each closed group will first attend a face-to-face preparation meeting lasting approximately 30 minutes. This meeting is separate from the eight thematic intervention sessions.
The intervention consists of eight weekly, 60-minute sessions. Sessions 1 to 7 address childhood, school life, youth, working life, family life, social ties, and later life, respectively. Session 8 focuses on reviewing life experiences and the planned termination of the group process.
Each session includes opening, reminiscence and reflection, and closing phases. Photographs, objects, music, and other memory-triggering materials may be used to facilitate recall and discussion. Participants may choose which experiences they wish to share.
The intervention protocol was structured in accordance with the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. Intervention fidelity will be documented using session implementation records and supported by face-to-face supervision after each session. Attendance at at least seven of the eight thematic sessions will be considered intervention completion.
Psychological well-being and quality of life will be assessed by an independent assessor who is unaware of group allocation. Cognitive status will be assessed by the certified researcher delivering the intervention, who is not blinded to group allocation.
The primary analysis will compare psychological well-being between the intervention and control groups shortly after the intervention while accounting for baseline scores. Additional analyses will examine psychological well-being at the 12-week follow-up and quality of life and cognitive status at both post-intervention and follow-up assessments.
Who may be able to participate?
The list below is the sponsor’s full registry wording. It can include conditions, prior treatment, test results and other requirements. A match in search does not mean you qualify.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Aged 60 years or older and living in the participating nursing home
- Cognitive complaint during the past year, reported by the participant or by responsible institutional staff (at least "sometimes" on either item)
- Raw Turkish Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-TR) score within the education-specific screening range: 16-17 for primary school graduates, 19-20 for middle school or high school graduates, and 20-22 for higher education graduates (Kaya et al., 2014); no education correction is applied
- Largely preserved instrumental activities of daily living (Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale score of 6-8 out of 8)
- At least primary school education
- Able to communicate sufficiently to complete the assessments
- Provides written informed consent and agrees to participate in group sessions
Exclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or another progressive neurodegenerative disease, as reported by the participant or responsible institutional staff
- Marked visual or hearing impairment that prevents assessment or group participation despite appropriate aids
- Acute medical condition, suspected acute confusion or delirium, significant psychiatric problem, or neurological disorder that prevents safe group participation or valid assessment, as reported by the participant or responsible institutional staff or observed during assessment
The at-risk profile for mild cognitive impairment is a study-specific operational definition and does not constitute a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.
Understand screeningTreatment, groups and participation
The registry may describe treatments and study duration without a complete visit calendar. Ask the study team for the exact schedule, procedures, risks, costs and alternatives. Keep your usual care plan unless your treating clinician tells you otherwise.
- Assignment
- Random assignment
- Masking
- Single masked
AT-GSH Intervention Group
Participants will attend a face-to-face preparation meeting followed by eight weekly, 60-minute reminiscence therapy-based social group work (AT-GSH) sessions delivered by a social worker in closed groups of 6 to 10 members.
Behavioral: Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work
Wait-List Control Group
Participants will continue receiving the institution's usual health, care, and social activity services and will not receive AT-GSH until the final follow-up assessment. After the final follow-up assessment, they will be offered AT-GSH on a voluntary basis.
Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work BEHAVIORAL
AT-GSH is a structured, face-to-face social group work intervention grounded in existential social work. It is delivered by a social worker in closed groups of 6 to 10 older adults. A preparation meeting of approximately 30 minutes precedes eight weekly, 60-minute sessions. The first seven sessions address childhood, school life, youth, working life, family life, social ties, and later life. The final session focuses on reviewing life experiences and ending the group process. Sessions include opening, reminiscence and reflection, and closing phases. Open-ended questions and memory-triggering materials facilitate voluntary sharing and reflection. Intervention fidelity is documented through session records and supervision.
What researchers are measuring
Outcome measures describe what is being studied. They are not proof that a treatment works.
Primary measures
Psychological Well-Being Score at Post-Intervention
Time frame: Baseline (before randomization) and post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar week)
Psychological well-being will be assessed using the Turkish version of the eight-item Flourishing Scale (Psychological Well-Being Scale; Diener et al., 2010; Telef, 2013), rated on a 7-point scale. Total scores range from 8 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being. Post-intervention scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The scale is administered by an independent assessor blinded to group allocation.
Secondary measures
Psychological Well-Being Score at 12-Week Follow-Up
Time frame: Baseline (before randomization) and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar week
Psychological well-being will be assessed using the Turkish version of the eight-item Flourishing Scale (Psychological Well-Being Scale). Total scores range from 8 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being. Follow-up scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The scale is administered by an independent assessor blinded to group allocation.
Quality of Life Score at Post-Intervention and 12-Week Follow-Up
Time frame: Baseline (before randomization), post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session), and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar weeks
Quality of life will be assessed using the Turkish version of the 13-item Older People's Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief (OPQOL-brief; Bowling et al., 2013; Caliskan et al., 2019), rated on a 5-point scale. Total scores range from 13 to 65, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The scale is administered by an independent assessor blinded to group allocation.
Cognitive Status Score at Post-Intervention and 12-Week Follow-Up
Time frame: Baseline (before randomization), post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session), and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar weeks.
Cognitive status will be assessed using the Turkish version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-TR; Nasreddine et al., 2005; Selekler et al., 2010). Total scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive performance. Scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The test is administered by the certified researcher delivering the intervention, who is not blinded to group allocation.
Review the complete result tables and limitations in the official record.
Open official results ↗Research locations (1)
The overall study status and a local site’s status can differ. Confirm that location’s availability before traveling.
1 locations
Fethiye Dortcelik Nursing Home, Bursa Metropolitan MunicipalityBursa, Bursa, Turkey (Türkiye)Status unknown
Study team and timeline
- Lead sponsor
- Melike Türkmen
- Study start
- Nov 19, 2026 Estimated
- Primary completion
- 2027-01 Estimated
- Study completion
- 2027-06 Estimated
- First posted
- Nov 10, 2026 Actual
- Last updated
- Nov 10, 2026 Actual
Official study contacts
Official study title
The Effect of a Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work Intervention on Cognitive Status, Psychological Well-Being, and Quality of Life in Older Adults Receiving Long-Term Institutional Care
Ask Wellness Clinical Research
Your message goes to WCR, including when this study is run by another organization. WCR may offer general guidance but may not operate this trial, have access to its team or be able to enroll you.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Information is submitted by sponsors and investigators. NLM does not approve the safety or science of all listed studies. Registry disclaimer.
Retrieved: Nov 12, 2026 · Last registry update: Nov 10, 2026