A life review depression intervention conducted in assisted living facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: did it work?

Dementia and depression are common neuropsychiatric disorders in older Americans and 40% experience both conditions simultaneously. Yet, interventions addressing both disorders are scarce. Life reviews, systematic recall and evaluation of people's lives, have demonstrated efficacy in depression. We developed the Caregiver-Provided Life Review (C-PLR) and pilot-tested it with people with dementia and depression (PwDD) in communities and assisted living facilities (ALF) and their family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study reports on the results of ALF-dwelling dyads (n=9). C-PLR reduced PwDD's depression and improved the dyads' relationship quality. Many dyads recorded their sessions to share with the next generations of families. Special attention should be given to ALF residents who have no families nearby. Given the structure of C-PLR, the ALF staff can play caregiver roles, record their life review sessions, and share the PwDD's stories so that they can leave their legacy to relatives living afar.