Outreach Psychotherapy for Seniors and Psychotherapy in Retirement Homes in German-speaking Countries - An Overview

Introduction: Growing older confronts seniors with a variety of challenges and problems. Dealing with losses or the transition to a retirement home and the abandonment of the previous life pose difficulties for people in old age. Although there is a great need for treatment, there are hardly any therapy offers in retirement homes or outreach psychotherapy for seniors. This article aims to provide an overview of the current state of studies on psychotherapy in retirement homes and outreach psychotherapy in German-speaking countries. Study Overview: For this purpose, 9 studies were examined in more detail. Different approaches to psychological and psychotherapeutic care of seniors were adopted in the described studies. In addition to specific therapy techniques, such as life review therapy, there were also non-specific counseling services, activations with music or a clinical consultation and lay service. Despite good approaches in the available studies, controlled research with sufficient samples for significant effects is lacking in this area. Also, the presented approaches often pose challenges to therapists and patients. Conclusion: In summary, this article aims to emphasize the importance of psychotherapeutic work with seniors, whether living at home or in a retirement home. The already elaborated and good approaches, such as life review procedures, should be further evaluated in controlled studies in the future. The studies presented here could provide inspiration for a study in a multicenter setting.