Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24063317›Full record

Trial reportAging & mental health2014

Life review and life story books for people with mild to moderate dementia: a randomised controlled trial.

Ponnusamy Subramaniam, Bob Woods, Chris Whitaker

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Aging & mental health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 28 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04047238 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2019, after this paper: background citation

Multicentre Randomized Controlled Study About the Effect of Individual Reminiscence Therapy on Cognition in Elderly People With Neurocognitive Disorder Attending Social Responses

TypeinterventionalSponsorRsocialform - Geriatria, LdaRan2019 to 2019Enrolled251ConditionsCognitive Impairment, Cognitive Decline, Dementia, Neurocognitive DisordersArmsReminiscence Therapy
NCT04658394 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Effect of Individual Reminiscence Therapy in the Elderly People With Neurocognitive Disorders: A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial in Azores Archipelago

TypeinterventionalSponsorRsocialform - Geriatria, LdaRan2021 to 2021Enrolled122ConditionsDementia, Neurocognitive Disorders, Cognitive Impairment, Cognitive DysfunctionArmsReminiscence therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Reminiscence therapy for dementia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  7. Trial
  8. Effectiveness of Individual Cognitive Stimulation on Cognition in Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Multicenter RCT.Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society · 2025
    Trial
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Life review for older adults: an integrative review.Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society · 2024
    Review
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  13. Article
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  15. Review
  16. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ponnusamy Subramaniama Dementia Services Development Centre Wales , Bangor University , Bangor , UK.
Bob Woods
Chris Whitaker
Bangor University · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo evaluate the effect of different pathways for developing a life story book (LSB) for people with dementia.

methodPreliminary randomised control trial; 23 people with dementia in care homes (mean age 86) randomly assigned to receive either 12 individual life review sessions and co-creating a LSB or a personal LSB created by their relatives as a 'gift'

resultsNo difference in quality of life (quality of life-Alzheimer's disease (QOL-AD)) was observed between the two groups, six weeks after having received the LSB (F(1,20) = 0.08, p = 0.77). At this point, QOL-AD had improved for both groups, but there was a significant between-group difference at an intermediate assessment immediately after the life review sessions had been completed, before the LSBs were received (F(1, 20) = 5.11, p = 0.035), in favour of life review. A similar pattern was observed on autobiographical memory (extended autobiographical memory interview), with the life review group improving significantly more than the gift group during the life review sessions, but no difference was observed once all participants had had their LSB for six weeks. After the LSBs were produced - by either pathway - quality of relationship as rated by relatives improved significantly (F(2, 39) = 19.37, p < 0.001) and staff knowledge regarding the resident and attitudes to dementia improved.

conclusionThe creation of LSBs - either through a life review process or by relatives without involving the person with dementia - has benefits for people with dementia, relatives and staff in care homes. However, undertaking a life review requires training and supervision.

Indexed as

Autobiographies as TopicMental RecallAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCognitive DysfunctionDementiaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeWales

Identifiers

PMID24063317
PMCPMC4017276
OpenAlexW2089992487

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.