MEMORY RECALL AND PARTICIPATION LEVELS IN THE ELDERLY - A STUDY OF GOLDEN-AGE RADIO

Institutionalized elderly people often appear to live in the past, or in their long-term memories. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of playing tapes of Golden Age radio shows, both musical and comedy, on the residents of a nursing home. In particular, the researchers were interested in memory recall, reactions to the memories, and the effects of this activity on involvement in planned nursing home activities. Trivia questions about the same time period were also utilized to determine if discussion of significant historical events in older persons' lifetimes might be triggers for increased participation and socialization. The study was conducted in a 30-bed nursing center located 20 miles west of a large midwestern metropolitan area. The participants included 12 women with a mean age of 90 years and of varying levels of cognitive functioning. The Golden Age radio programs were played on a tape recorder for a length of time not exceeding 20 minutes. Trivia questions were verbally posed by the researchers to the study group. Reactions to the Golden Age musical programs indicated that this type of music may evoke memories and encourage reminiscence in the lives of the elderly. The use of trivia is also recommended as a means of stimulating recall of historical and life events. The comedy programs evoked little response in this study, and the researchers feel that additional study in this area could be valuable.