"Until the late 1960s, there was a strong tendency to discourage reminiscence, since it was seen as diverting elderly people from the immediate demands of the present day, and even of speeding the deterioration of cognitive processes that are much needed in later life. It was also said to present an unpleasant contrast to current circumstances. The discovery that the move from independent living to a care home has a deleterious effect on short-term memory and concentration, and that after the move there is a tendency for an elderly person to become increasingly lost in memories, seemed to underline the danger of reminiscence. In short, the verdict of geriatricians and psychiatrists on thinking and talking about the old days was hardly any more positive than Aristotle's.

"The tide turned in the 1980s and 1990s. From many sides simultaneously, and often on the initiative of therapists working in residential homes for elderly people, the recalling of early memories began to be encouraged. Sometimes old people were invited to tell their life stories or write them down. Guidebooks appeared that explained how to lead such projects; in fact many countries now have publishing houses that specialize in the life stories of elderly people, mostly in limited print-runs for family and friends. Photographs, old film footage or music may help to unlock memories. Many old people's homes now have memory cabinets or special rooms with old tools and utensils that were once found in every household but disappeared half a century ago, bottles containing smells of the past, washing powders with once popular brand names, sounds that long ago disappeared from our streets, or photographs of people who were famous in the 1920s and 1930s. Words or terms that refer to things that no longer exist and therefore have meaning only in the memory are used to get conversations going in 'reminiscence groups.' One generation still knows them, the next no longer does. Examples might include platform ticket, winding wool, Player's Navy Cut, ash bucket and meat safe."