Facilitation Technique Category: Therapeutic Reminiscence

Activity Title: Balloon Pop And Reminisce

Source: Dattilo, J., & McKenney, A. (2011) Facilitation Techniques in Therapeutic
Recreation. State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc
Jask, M. (Ed.). (2007, October 19). Reminiscing Activities. Retrieved November 01,
2016, from https://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txrem.htm
Equipment: Balloons in a variety of colors, Scissors or pin, Paper and pencil
Activity Description: In most cases, reminiscence has been a technique that is usually
reserved for the elderly, or individuals who are in a transitional period or life crisis.
Although there is no single unanimous definition for the concept of reminiscence, the
facilitations textbook goes on to describe it as the process of recollecting past memories,
or the bridge between ones present and ones past. The, in regards to the definition or
Therapeutic Reminiscence, the facilitation book again describes it as when the TR
specialists facilitate the purposeful process of helping participants retrieve memories
from their past. The activity chosen for this week is called Balloon Pop and Reminisce.
The objective of this activity is to help improve socialization, remising ability, and
interaction skills. And the number of participants can be from 3 people and up. The
activity description includes: 1) Begin by writing a variety of reminisce
questions/statements on small pieces of paper. (Examples of said reminisce
questions/statements can include things like: Who taught you how to drive? Tell us
about your first date. Describe the house you grew up in. What was your first job? Tell us
about your best childhood friend. What do you remember about your grandparents) The
questions do not have to be exactly as presented, for they can be adjusted to fit the
demographic/group of clients that will be participating. 2) Once all of the
questions/statements have been created, place each slip of paper into a different balloon.
3) Each balloon will then be inflated while keeping the slip of paper (with the
questions/statements) inside of the balloon. 4) Seat residents in a circle, with the balloons
on the floor, in the middle. 5) have one of the participants of the activity, pick a balloon
color that they would like to pop (the popping of the balloon can either de done by a staff
member/leader because some people may not like popping the balloons, or the client may
also have the option of standing up and walking over to the balloon to pop it themselves.
The decision is up to the client). 6) After the balloon has been popped, the client will then
be asked to answer the question that was inside of the balloon (and to please be as
specific/elaborate as possible because the whole objective of this activity is to reminisce).
7) Once, the client has finished answering his/her question, it will be the next persons
turn in the circle to pop another balloon and answer the question inside as well. 8) This
process will repeat itself with the other clients until the balloons run out, or if there are
more clients than balloons, the questions may be repeated for the remaining participants.
Leadership Considerations: A CTRS will function as an instructor for this activity, and
he/she will assist the client if any help is needed. If there are any limitations that a client

may have or that has already been diagnosed as having, it is essential that the CTRS
gather this information as early as possible. This is done so the leader can have time to
prepare/adjust the activities, according to the specific clients needs. The level of
closeness between the leader or between the clients is all up to the client, they can be as
far or as close as they feel comfortable being (although it would be preferable if the
distance they were in still fit the shape of the circle). The leader must also be cognizant
that its natural for the other clients to not want to share certain memories, or that they
may be shy at first to participate. So in order to alleviate/resolve this problem, the CTRS
should not hesitate to be the first to volunteer to answer one of the questions from the
balloon, by starting off with a personal story or anecdote. Additionally, in order for the
ensure that the client be as engaged in the activity as possible, it is important to have the
setting as comfortable as possible; because this will then cause the clients to also feel
comfortable sharing stories/experiences they wouldnt regularly share. Other techniques
to gain comfort around the clients would be to ask he/she by what name they rather go by
(such as a nickname), to make sure you as the leader are sitting or standing at face to face
level with client (dont tower over them by standing if theyre sitting, or vice versa), and
always make sure to have eye contact with them to ensure to them that you are paying
attention. Furthermore, for this activity it is more of a group activity (which promotes the
opportunity to receive support from others), but if more serious topics want to be
discussed it is better to have them in one-on-one groups between the client and the
leader. In the One-on-One discussions, they are more intimate, and the client is much
more likely to open up on a greater extent, here than in a group setting. Plus, perhaps
some details that are painful/traumatic are more likely to be expressed as well. Exercises
where feelings like this can be shared, are good for the client because it allows them to
express feelings that they may have otherwise just have kept to themselves. And finally, it
is of utmost importance, that the leader know beforehand any triggers, or possible
memories/topics to stay away from, before the activity begins. This will allow the CTRS
to avoid any awkward/traumatic topics that the client may not want to discuss, and it also
helps to avoid the flow that may occur during this activity.
Adaptations for Participants with Dementia: Dementia is identified by memory loss
that limits functioning, challenges to cognition that result in impaired judgment, the
ability to reason, and to affectively interact with others. Signs of progression with people
who have dementia includes increasing memory loss. The three steps of the dementia
progressing are 1)forgetfulness/short term memory loss. 2) Recent memory fades, so the
individual may forget what they had for lunch yesterday. And 3) finally the individuals
long-term memory is impaired. The 3 conditions that with dementia may experience are
aphasia (loss of word pronunciation/grammar skills) , agnosia (loss of ability to recognize
people/things), and apraxia (loss of a ability to carry out motor functions). In reference to
possible adaptations for clients who have dementia, can include allowing the client to
bring a photograph, memento, or other objects to serve as a cuing prop in order to help
spark the reminiscing process. When selecting the setting, the good thing about this
activity/type of therapy is that it is highly adaptable and can be conducted anywhere from
next to someones bedside, to a formal office or dayroom. The main objective of the
setting is for the client to feel as comfortable as possible so they may also feel very
comfortable in sharing personal information about themselves. And the last adaptation

would be to give the client a reminder beforehand/in advance in order to allow the
participant more time to organize/present their thought in time for the activity (Woods,
Spector, Jones, Orrell, & Davies, 2005).
Adaptations for Participants with Depression: Depression is a type of brain disorder
that is characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities
causing significant impairment in daily life. In order to be clinically diagnosed as having
depression, symptoms must be present for at least two weeks, symptoms such as:
persistent sad/anxious/or empty mood, feelings of hopelessness or pessimism, thoughts of
death or suicide, or actual attempts at suicide. Adaptations in regard to clients who have
depression include having cues to help being about reminiscing thoughts/memories,
and providing as comfortable setting as possible. In terms of establishing a comfortable
environment, things the CTRS and other staff/participants can do is constantly provide
these clients with positive feedback and compliments, in order to keep their spirits high.
And most importantly it is important for the CTRS to gather information in regards to
possible triggers or certain topics/memories that they should stay way from
(beforehand) that might cause the client to get into a depressive state or relapse into a
harmful/bad state (Bohlmeijer, Smit, & Cuijpers, 2003).
Adaptations References
- Bohlmeijer, E., Smit, F., & Cuijpers, P. (2003). Effects of reminiscence and life review
on latelife depression: a metaanalysis. International journal of geriatric
psychiatry, 18(12), 1088-1094.
-Woods, B., Spector, A., Jones, C., Orrell, M., & Davies, S. (2005). Reminiscence therapy
for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2.