MEMORY, MOOD AND DEMENTIA - A CASE-STUDY

Patients who require long term care for moderate to severe dementia ar e commonly assumed, by definition, to have poor recall of past events. This article outlines a case study which illustrates how memories for past events can be stimulated tghrough the use of counseling skills. It also highlights the potential therapeutic effects of recalling emot ionally charged events, even when these memories are predominantly sad Recommendations based upon these findings include the establishment o f a social history for each patient in order to promote reminiscence a nd discussion, and the use of counseling techniques to encourage self- disclosure.