Since Robert Butler (1963) first articulated the concept of life review, such groups have become an increasingly popular counseling intervention. Life review groups can encourage socialization, lead to a sense of self-worth and life satisfaction, and help alleviate loneliness, hopelessness, and depression.
The participants of life review groups reported that their present was enlivened by their memories, and experienced a newer, more open, and accepting or integrative attitude toward the past (Knight, 1996). Many organizations have developed programs for stimulating life reviews. For example, Bi-Folkal Productions have developed a series of reminiscence packages to stimulate memory sharing including photographs, music, stories, and old household items to use as triggers for reminiscences.
Haight (1992), after having reviewed 30 years of literature on reminiscing and life review, and having learned that it produced positive results, developed the Life Review and Experiencing Form (LREF) as the basis for a structured process of individual life review. The process involves six 1-hour interviews, plus pre-and post testing sessions to assess psychological well-being and psychological illness (National Mental Health Association Prevention Clearinghouse, n. d. ).
Bereavement groups. Old age is the period when a person goes through losses including a long-term partner, combined with the loss of social supports, which can constitute a threat to mental health and well-being. Research on bereavement find that grief is not a simple, universal process, with a progression of fixed stages and that we need a greater understanding of the heterogeneity of individual responses to loss. Interventions can be done at the individual, group and community levels.