This study was done to identify the relationship between social support and morale in the elderly.

A structured questionnaire was carried out from April, 2003 to June, 2003 on 203 elderly. The data was analyzed with a SPSS program for descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression was done

The level of social support was moderate, and family support was the highest score. In types of support, appraisal support was the highest score. The level of morale was slightly lower than moderate, and the score of social support showed significantly positive correlation with morale. In general characteristics, several variables were significantly related to social support and morale. The most powerful predictor of morale was material support by family and the variance was 19.6%. A combination of material support by family, emotional support by relatives, level of satisfaction with pocket money, perceived health, level of intimacy with one's children, and material support by friends account for 43.3% of the variance in morale of the elderly.

To increase the morale of the elderly, it is necessary to consolidate material support by family and relatives.

This study examined the effects of individual reminiscence therapy on older adults' depression, morale, and the quality of life.

The design was a single-group pre-test and post-test study. Subjects consisted of 31 older adults from two senior centers and a welfare center in Seoul. Individual reminiscence therapy was applied to study subjects four times, once a week for an hour at each time. Measurement tools were the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form Korea (GDSSF-K) for depression, Mun Ae-ri's (1996) scale for morale, and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) for the quality of life. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and pearson correlation.

The application of individual reminiscence therapy reduced older adults' depression (t=-5.65, p=.000), and enhanced older adults' morale (t=4.65, p=.000). The application of individual reminiscence therapy improved older adults' quality of life (t=5.00, p=.000).

Findings of the study suggest that individual reminiscence therapy may be applied as a nursing intervention that contributesto the improvement of older adults' quality of life, reduces their depression, and enhances their morale.