Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work for Older Adults in Long-Term Institutional Care (AT-GSH)

November 5, 2026 updated by: Melike Türkmen

The Effect of a Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work Intervention on Cognitive Status, Psychological Well-Being, and Quality of Life in Older Adults Receiving Long-Term Institutional Care

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out whether a reminiscence therapy-based social group work intervention (AT-GSH) improves psychological well-being, quality of life, and cognitive status in older adults living in long-term institutional care who are at risk of mild cognitive impairment.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does AT-GSH improve psychological well-being shortly after the intervention?
  • Does AT-GSH improve psychological well-being at the 12-week follow-up?
  • Does AT-GSH improve quality of life and cognitive status shortly after the intervention and at the 12-week follow-up?

The study plans to include 44 adults aged 60 years or older who meet the study's screening criteria. Participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group or a wait-list control group.

Participants in the intervention group will attend a preparation meeting followed by eight weekly, 60-minute face-to-face sessions in closed groups of 6 to 10 members. The sessions will involve recalling, sharing, and reflecting on memories from different periods of life.

Researchers will compare this group with participants in the wait-list control group, who will continue receiving the institution's usual health, care, and social activity services.

Participants in the intervention group will complete assessments before the intervention, within 1 to 7 days after the final intervention session, and 12 weeks (plus or minus one week) after the final session. Participants in the wait-list control group will complete assessments during the same calendar weeks. The main comparison will focus on psychological well-being shortly after the intervention, taking initial psychological well-being scores into account.

After the final follow-up assessment, the wait-list control group will be offered the same intervention on a voluntary basis.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

AT-GSH is a structured social group work intervention grounded in an existential social work approach. The intervention combines structured reminiscence activities with group interaction and reflection on personal life experiences. It is guided by social work principles, including self-determination, respect for human dignity, voluntary participation, and mutual aid.

The intervention will be delivered by the researcher, who is a social worker, at a nursing home affiliated with Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Turkiye. Each closed group will first attend a face-to-face preparation meeting lasting approximately 30 minutes. This meeting is separate from the eight thematic intervention sessions.

The intervention consists of eight weekly, 60-minute sessions. Sessions 1 to 7 address childhood, school life, youth, working life, family life, social ties, and later life, respectively. Session 8 focuses on reviewing life experiences and the planned termination of the group process.

Each session includes opening, reminiscence and reflection, and closing phases. Photographs, objects, music, and other memory-triggering materials may be used to facilitate recall and discussion. Participants may choose which experiences they wish to share.

The intervention protocol was structured in accordance with the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. Intervention fidelity will be documented using session implementation records and supported by face-to-face supervision after each session. Attendance at at least seven of the eight thematic sessions will be considered intervention completion.

Psychological well-being and quality of life will be assessed by an independent assessor who is unaware of group allocation. Cognitive status will be assessed by the certified researcher delivering the intervention, who is not blinded to group allocation.

The primary analysis will compare psychological well-being between the intervention and control groups shortly after the intervention while accounting for baseline scores. Additional analyses will examine psychological well-being at the 12-week follow-up and quality of life and cognitive status at both post-intervention and follow-up assessments.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
44

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Bursa
      • Bursa, Bursa, Turkey (Türkiye), 16320
        • Fethiye Dortcelik Nursing Home, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Melike Türkmen

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 60 years or older and living in the participating nursing home
  • Cognitive complaint during the past year, reported by the participant or by responsible institutional staff (at least "sometimes" on either item)
  • Raw Turkish Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-TR) score within the education-specific screening range: 16-17 for primary school graduates, 19-20 for middle school or high school graduates, and 20-22 for higher education graduates (Kaya et al., 2014); no education correction is applied
  • Largely preserved instrumental activities of daily living (Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale score of 6-8 out of 8)
  • At least primary school education
  • Able to communicate sufficiently to complete the assessments
  • Provides written informed consent and agrees to participate in group sessions

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or another progressive neurodegenerative disease, as reported by the participant or responsible institutional staff
  • Marked visual or hearing impairment that prevents assessment or group participation despite appropriate aids
  • Acute medical condition, suspected acute confusion or delirium, significant psychiatric problem, or neurological disorder that prevents safe group participation or valid assessment, as reported by the participant or responsible institutional staff or observed during assessment

The at-risk profile for mild cognitive impairment is a study-specific operational definition and does not constitute a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: AT-GSH Intervention Group

Participants will attend a face-to-face preparation meeting followed by eight weekly, 60-minute reminiscence therapy-based social group work (AT-GSH) sessions delivered by a social worker in closed groups of 6 to 10 members.
Behavioral: Reminiscence Therapy-Based Social Group Work

AT-GSH is a structured, face-to-face social group work intervention grounded in existential social work. It is delivered by a social worker in closed groups of 6 to 10 older adults. A preparation meeting of approximately 30 minutes precedes eight weekly, 60-minute sessions. The first seven sessions address childhood, school life, youth, working life, family life, social ties, and later life. The final session focuses on reviewing life experiences and ending the group process. Sessions include opening, reminiscence and reflection, and closing phases. Open-ended questions and memory-triggering materials facilitate voluntary sharing and reflection. Intervention fidelity is documented through session records and supervision.

Other Names:
  • AT-GSH
No Intervention: Wait-List Control Group

Participants will continue receiving the institution's usual health, care, and social activity services and will not receive AT-GSH until the final follow-up assessment. After the final follow-up assessment, they will be offered AT-GSH on a voluntary basis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Psychological Well-Being Score at Post-Intervention
Time Frame: Baseline (before randomization) and post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar week)

Psychological well-being will be assessed using the Turkish version of the eight-item Flourishing Scale (Psychological Well-Being Scale; Diener et al., 2010; Telef, 2013), rated on a 7-point scale. Total scores range from 8 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being. Post-intervention scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The scale is administered by an independent assessor blinded to group allocation.
Baseline (before randomization) and post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar week)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Psychological Well-Being Score at 12-Week Follow-Up
Time Frame: Baseline (before randomization) and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar week

Psychological well-being will be assessed using the Turkish version of the eight-item Flourishing Scale (Psychological Well-Being Scale). Total scores range from 8 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being. Follow-up scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The scale is administered by an independent assessor blinded to group allocation.
Baseline (before randomization) and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar week
Quality of Life Score at Post-Intervention and 12-Week Follow-Up
Time Frame: Baseline (before randomization), post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session), and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar weeks

Quality of life will be assessed using the Turkish version of the 13-item Older People's Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief (OPQOL-brief; Bowling et al., 2013; Caliskan et al., 2019), rated on a 5-point scale. Total scores range from 13 to 65, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The scale is administered by an independent assessor blinded to group allocation.
Baseline (before randomization), post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session), and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar weeks
Cognitive Status Score at Post-Intervention and 12-Week Follow-Up
Time Frame: Baseline (before randomization), post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session), and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar weeks.

Cognitive status will be assessed using the Turkish version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-TR; Nasreddine et al., 2005; Selekler et al., 2010). Total scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive performance. Scores will be compared between the intervention and wait-list control groups, adjusting for baseline scores. The test is administered by the certified researcher delivering the intervention, who is not blinded to group allocation.
Baseline (before randomization), post-intervention (1 to 7 days after the final AT-GSH session), and 12 weeks (plus or minus 1 week) after the final AT-GSH session; control group assessed during the same calendar weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Melike Türkmen

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Melike Türkmen, Duzce University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 19, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AT-GSH-2026-01
  • 2026-951 (Other Identifier: Ondokuz Mayis University Social and Human Sciences Research Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared. The informed consent obtained from participants does not cover sharing individual-level data with other researchers, and the small sample recruited from a single institution increases the risk of re-identification. Aggregated results will be reported in the doctoral thesis and related publications.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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