Objectives: Examine the effects of group reminiscence therapy on disability of nursing home residents in Mashhad -Iran.

Methods & Materials: In this semi-experimental study, 56 residents of nursing homes in Mashhad –Iran were selected by convenience sampling. Subjects in each nursing home randomly assigned to reminiscence group therapy (30) and control group (26). Thus six groups with 4-8 members were made. Reminiscence group therapy was done one hour weekly for eight weeks. Disability, depression, cognitive function, and pain were measured by World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II), 15-Item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) respectively. SPSS version 11.5 and parametric and non-parametric tests were used for data analysis.

Results: The result of ANOVA and Mann-Whitney tests showed there was no significant difference about total disability score (P=0.94) and its subscales: communication and understanding (P=0.20), getting around (P=0.20), self-care (P=0.92), dealing with other (P=0.72), and participation (P=0.88) between experimental and control group.

Conclusion: One hour weekly group reminiscence therapy for eight weeks can't reduce disability and its subdivisions in nursing home residents. Therefore we advise further studies in this field.