The study explores the meanings that family caregivers of people with dementia ascribe to the past, present, and future of their role as a caregiver, and how their integration into caregiving trajectories is related to caregivers’ burdens and gains. The sample was made up of 197 family caregivers (M age = 62.1, SD = 12.3, 70.1% females). They completed three incomplete sentences regarding their past, present, and future caring role, the Zarit Burden Interview and the Gains Associated with Caregiving scale. Sentence completions were content analyzed, and the associations between the resulting trajectories and burdens and gains were studied by means of a one-way ANOVA. Caregivers differed in the meanings ascribed to past, present, and future of their role. Stable-negative (M = 43.6, SD = 13.3), regressive (M = 43.3, SD = 12.7), and present-enhancing (M = 37.4, SD = 13.7) trajectories showed higher levels of burdens than progressive (M = 31.3, SD = 12.3) and/or stable-positive trajectories (M = 26.1, SD = 13.7). Progressive trajectories (M = 38.9, SD = 15.7) were related to more gains than regressive trajectories (M = 28.6, SD = 12.7). Family caregivers’ evaluations of their past, present, and future are not only important separately, but their combination into caregiving trajectories is also relevant. Such trajectories might be relevant when designing interventions to help caregivers reduce their burden levels and increase the benefits ascribed to their experience. The most adaptive trajectory identified was the progressive one, whereas the regressive trajectory was the most dysfunctional.

Loneliness and social isolation are important social determinants of wellbeing of older adults. Conversational exchanges can promote connectedness between older adults, however, conversations may not always come easy. Research shows that exposure to nature-based stimuli such as pictures and videos can stimulate social aspirations and trigger associations that could facilitate conversations, in particular when nature scenery is perceived as fascinating, mysterious, spacious and suited for social interaction. Therefore, this study investigated whether exposure to these nature characteristics (high versus low) lead to associations that could act as conversational material. A randomised factorial design, using a virtual reality-based approach for experimental control, led to 17 different virtual representations of nature (VN). In total, 150 participants (60 years and older) were recruited for an online survey. Spontaneous associations were coded on personal engagement and valence. The number of associations was measured with one multiple-choice question. VN exposure successfully triggered personally engaging and positively valenced associations and were related to multiple associations, in particular when the VN were high on mystery. Furthermore, positive effects of VN exposure was more pronounced for participants with high (rather than low) levels of nature relatedness and many (rather than few) available nature opportunities. These findings indicate that VN exposure provides fertile ground for conversations as a means to promote connectedness and social wellbeing of older adults.

Person-centred care requires improved documentation of nursing home resident wellbeing, e.g. by nursing staff proxy assessments. Previous studies mainly focused on proxy self-report agreement of quality of life of people with dementia, using lengthy questionnaires. This is the first study to investigate how well nursing staff assess residents’ wellbeing after training, using a single-question assessment method of happiness and engagement. We conducted a cross-sectional mixed-method study, including proxy assessments from 49 nursing staff, and self-reports from 49 nursing home residents without dementia (mean age 85). We explored agreement between colleagues, and between proxy assessments and self-reports, and potential nursing staff characteristics associated to this (age, experience, hours worked per week). Brief written motivations were evaluated on nursing staffs’ understanding of the happiness and engagement concepts. The results showed low agreement between colleagues, and low agreement between proxy assessments and self-reports. Nursing staff assessed happiness and engagement substantially higher than residents’ self-reports. Hours worked per week was related to happiness proxy assessments, but none of the included nursing staff characteristics were related to proxy self-report agreement. Nursing staff interpreted the concepts in diverse ways. Overestimating resident wellbeing when using this single-assessment method may undermine subsequent efforts to improve wellbeing. We could not identify which nursing staff could best provide wellbeing assessments. For now, proxy wellbeing assessments should always be combined with regular self-reports whenever possible.

In this study we examine patterns of change and stability in loneliness among 108 women who had participated in a friendship enrichment programme during the year after the programme. We distinguished seven groups of participants in which different levels of loneliness significantly declined, remained stable or increased. These were reduced to the following groups: those recovered, significantly improved and not improved. We then examined whether resources such as age, education, partner status, health, initially available friendships and developments in friendships were related to these loneliness patterns. The data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, a loneliness scale and the personal convoy model. The results indicate that none of the demographic characteristics, nor health, were associated with the patterns of loneliness. Friendship availability and development did differ among the groups. Recovery from loneliness after a year was associated with the presence of a friend in the outer circle of the convoy and having more variation in one's friendships initially and one year later. It was also associated with the presence of a friend in the inner circle and reporting improvement in friendship later. The absence of these qualities initially or subsequently was more characteristic of those whose loneliness was stable or increased. Thus, the maintenance of companionate friendship and the development of intimacy in one's friendships seem advantageous for recovery from loneliness. While this study illustrates that recovery from, and significant reduction of loneliness are possible, we are not yet able to predict who will benefit and who will not benefit from a friendship enrichment programme.

Quality of life and wellbeing in nursing homes are becoming more important in research and practice. One of the main influences on residents' wellbeing is the interaction with their professional care-givers. The purpose of this study was to explore to what extent care-givers support the residents' needs of relatedness, autonomy and competence, and how this need support is related to wellbeing. Residents and their professional care-givers of four nursing homes in the Netherlands participated in an observational and questionnaire study. Three video-observations of each resident (with different care-givers) were made during morning care. Additional data were collected by means of questionnaires. The results show that the needs of residents were, on average, moderately fulfilled during care interactions. More need support by care-givers was related to higher resident wellbeing. Care-givers provided more need support to residents with stronger functional impairments. More need support was provided by higher-educated care-givers and care-givers in higher job functions. The results show the importance of need support for situational wellbeing, but the contribution to the general subjective wellbeing of residents remains unclear. Further (longitudinal) research is needed to investigate changes in wellbeing over time. Possible differences between subjective ratings and observations of need support and wellbeing should be taken into account.

The portrayal of older characters in television commercials has over time become more varied and positive. This study examines how different portrayals of older characters relate to self-stereotyping, a process through which older individuals apply their beliefs about older people in general to themselves and behave accordingly. The study thereby seeks to connect, as few have previously done, cultural studies and critiques of media portrayals with psychological studies of the effects of self-stereotyping. Sixty participants aged 65–75 years were primed with television commercials that portrayed older characters in different ways: ‘warm and incompetent’, ‘warm and competent’, and ‘cold and competent’. It was hypothesised that priming with warm/incompetent portrayals would have a negative effect on memory performance because such representations match the dominant stereotype, and that the effect would occur only among older people who identify with their own age group. It was found that the participants who identified with their own age group did indeed show impaired memory performance after priming with warm/incompetent portrayals, but also that the same effect was found after priming with warm/competent portrayals. The findings are discussed in terms of resistance against stereotyping by older individuals themselves as well as by media producers.

This article explores recent progress in theory, research and practical applications of reminiscence. It first describes the evidence for reminiscence as a naturally occurring process, and discusses the different functions of reminiscence and their relationships with mental health and lifespan processes. Three basic types of reminiscence that relate to mental health are specified: conversations about autobiographical memories and the use of personal recollections to teach and inform others have social functions; positive functions for the self include the integration of memories into identity, recollections of past problem-solving behaviours, and the use of memories to prepare for one's own death; negative functions for the self are the use of past memories to reduce boredom, to revive bitterness, or to maintain intimacy with deceased persons. It is proposed that in interventions the three types are addressed differently: simple reminiscence stimulates social reminiscence and bonding and promotes positive feelings; life review uses the positive functions to enhance personal wellbeing; and life-review therapy seeks to reduce the negative uses and thereby alleviate symptoms of mental illness. Studies of the effectiveness of interventions have provided some evidence that interventions are effective in relation to their goals. The review closes with recommended directions for future reminiscence research.