Opening of Thailand’s First Reminiscence Therapy Center in Chiang Mai

Thailand’s first reminiscence therapy center has been established in Ton Haen Noi Village, Chiang Mai.

The center was created as a space for practicing “Kaisoho” (reminiscence therapy), a method that encourages elderly people to recall and share memories through conversation, objects, photographs, and everyday experiences from the past.

At the center, Faai-san and Setsuko-san, who learned the reminiscence therapy method in Nagoya, Japan, kindly organized and facilitated activities together with local residents. Through conversations about food, village life, childhood experiences, and local traditions, participants shared memories in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The establishment of the center represents an important step in the international exchange of community-based care practices between Japan and Thailand. At the same time, it highlights the value of local knowledge, memory, and everyday cultural experiences within rural communities in northern Thailand.

The project also aims to explore how reminiscence practices can contribute not only to elderly care, but also to community revitalization and intergenerational cultural transmission.