Thanksgiving Reminiscence

Thanksgiving is an iconic American holiday that many of our Residents have celebrated for their entire lives. It should of course be included on The Memory Unit – and reminiscence groups are one of the best ways to integrate any holiday into a therapeutic activity.

A Reminiscence Group is a group treatment session with 2 or more residents, during which time you as the provider ask specified questions that target and individual’s long-term memories.

The conversation can revolve around anything, and often pictures, music, and sometimes even videos are used to help support and enrich the group discussion. The conversation can target virtually any topic. I’ve found these types of groups to be highly effective with individuals on long-term care units. Residents who otherwise don’t engage in group activity will engage in a reminiscence group. People often get enjoyment out of the conversation, and we all learn new things about one another that we otherwise might not have known.

Some things to remember…

…the great thing about a Reminiscence Group is you can go as wide or as narrow as you want. The questions I’ve included in this handout are just to get things started. You can talk about childhood, adulthood, how the celebrations have changed as the family dynamics have changed. You can find paintings of the first Thanksgiving or pictures of traditional Thanksgiving foods and decorations from any decade you want. You can play music or sing songs. You could even offer some Thanksgiving appetizers or serve pie during the group. The possibilities are endless.