@article {Lekhak2020, title = {Episodic Memory in Later Life: Benefits of Prayer and Meditation}, journal = {Journal of Holistic Nursing}, year = {2020}, note = {cited By 0}, abstract = {{Purpose: To examine the effects of prayer and meditation on the episodic memory of older adults. Design: Secondary analysis of Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Method: Drawing from a subsample of HRS (n = 1,135), this study utilized generalized estimating equation regression models to examine the effects of meditation and prayer on changes in episodic memory of older adults over time. Findings: Findings show a statistically significant positive effect of the use of prayer (0.50, p <.05) on episodic memory score at baseline. We also observed a slight gain in episodic memory over time for older adults who used prayer (0.04, p =.05). Meditation was not found to have a statistically significant effect on changes in memory in later life. Conclusion: This study illustrates the benefits of prayer in preserving memory and provides much needed empirical basis for community-level interventions to enhance memory in later life.}, keywords = {Aged, Article, drawing, Episodic Memory, Female, human, human experiment, major clinical study, Male, meditation, mindfulness, Religion, Retirement, secondary analysis}, issn = {08980101}, doi = {10.1177/0898010119898547}, author = {Lekhak, N. and Bhatta, T.R. and Zauszniewski, J.A.} }