How UNESA PPG Prajab Students Improve the Quality of Life of the Elderly Through Reminiscence Therapy

Unesa. ac.id., SURABAYA—There are many ways that can be done to improve the quality of life of the elderly, one of which is by providing reminiscence therapy as is done by a group of students from the Social Work study program, PPG Pre-service, Surabaya State University (UNESA ) at Home for the Elderly Khusnul Khatimah, Malang on Saturday, April 20 2024.

The chief executive, Salvinia Salvy Prihanta, said that the aim of this activity which is a service program is to improve the quality of life of the elderly by bringing back memories of the past through reminiscence therapy approach. This approach can maintain the mental health of the elderly.

According to him, reminiscing about happy events in the past can be one of the motivations for the elderly and can be a coping mechanism for dealing with stress.

< p>The reason is, at an age that is no longer young, several activities are needed that can help to optimize brain function mechanisms so as to reduce the risk of symptoms of dementia or senile dementia.

"Apart from that, through several activities later you can train cognitive skills and provide meaningful learning while increasing the self-confidence of seniors," he said.

The Reminiscence Therapy activity was attended by approximately 50 seniors. This activity also involved students from State Vocational High School (SMKN) 2 Malang City majoring in Social Work with a concentration on the elderly.

Seniors are invited to cook traditional klepon food and eat it together with the students and the entire committee. Apart from that, old songs and songs were played to support the atmosphere of reminiscing about the past of the elderly.

Sahensah Daniati Puspitasari, one of the students said that there were many activities that could be participated in to hone skills in serving the elderly as they had learned during class learning.

"This activity is important for us students, so we have experience in how to make the elderly less stressed and happier with their lives," he said.

This activity received positive welcome from the Daily Chair of Griya Elderly Husnul Khatimah, Nur Hadi. He said that Griya Lansia Husnul Khatimah is ready to become a real place of learning for everyone.

The place of learning in question is how to grow and increase students' feelings of empathy for elderly parents and each other.

“I feel very happy about the presence of PPG UNESA students and students of SMKN 2 Malang. "My hope is that activities like this can be carried out continuously so that the elderly feel like they have friends," said Nur Hadi.

Griya Lansia Husnul Khatimah cares for at least 160 elderly who do not have family to care for them. . Mbah Prapto, one of the elderly, admitted that he really likes singing. With this activity, it is hoped that it can cheer up those who feel lonely. []

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Author: Novita Permatasari (2023 UNESA Pre-Service Social Work PPG Student)

Editor: @zam*

< p>Photo: Documentation of the UNESA Pre-Service PPG student team