Designing a multimedia conversation aid for reminiscence therapy in dementia care environments

As world populations grow older the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementia related illnesses increases (approximately 18 million sufferers worldwide). One particularly devastating effect of AD is the loss of short-term memory, which radically impairs the sufferer’s ability to communicate. People with dementia, however, often retain a facility for long-term memory that can function strongly given appropriate stimulation.

Project CIRCA (Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid), utilizes interactive multimedia (including audio, video, animation and QuickTime VR environments) to stimulate long-term memory to prompt verbal and non-verbal communication.

Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

New hope for Alzheimer’s vaccine

A study stopped early on safety grounds may still hold the key to a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers.

An international team tried to boost the body’s immune system by injecting patients with the beta amyloid protein that causes the disease.

BBC News
Monday, 9 May, 2005

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Earlier Onset of Alzheimer Disease Symptoms in Latino Individuals Compared With Anglo Individuals

Latino individuals are the largest minority group and the fastest growing population group in the United States, yet there are few studies comparing the clinical features of Alzheimer disease (AD) in this population with those found in Anglo (white non-Latino) patients.

Conclusions: An earlier age at symptom onset suggests that US mainland Latino individuals may experience an increased burden of AD compared with Anglo individuals. The basis for the younger age at symptom onset remains obscure.

Archives of Neurology
Vol. 62 No. 5, May 2005

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Alzheimer’s: A Mother-Daughter Act

Among the things it is hard to explain to someone with Alzheimer’s disease are that it is Sunday, there is no mail, and you don’t go to the lobby in your robe. But after studying theatrical improvisation, I know this scene doesn’t have to end in a confrontation over some reality principle: it can be guided to a playful change of subject.

By ELINOR FUCHS
New York Times
Published: May 8, 2005

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Exercise Variety, Not Intensity, Found to Reduce Dementia Risk

Variety in activities, not exercise intensity, reduces the risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, says a Johns Hopkins study.

The prospective multicenter study of 3,375 men and women, who were dementia-free, found that men and women who moved from one task or activity to another were more likely to retain their mental acuity than those who engaged in fewer activities.

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By Katrina Woznicki
MedPage Today Staff Writer

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Memory Lane: For Someone with Memory Loss

Memory Lane’s philosophy is simple: To create high quality entertainment for people with Alzheimer’s. Entertainment made with love, care, respect and a belief that all people can appreciate the beauty, the emotion, the joy and the comfort that comes from life’s special moments.

As a caregiver for someone with memory loss, you know how difficult it is to engage them in activities that enhance their enjoyment of life.

Thankfully, now you can take them on a stroll down Memory Lane. Memory Lane’s innovative videos, audio programs and memory books are specifically designed to stimulate and entertain those with memory loss (including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia). Equally important, caregivers get a much-needed break from the demanding tasks they face.

Give your loved one the gift of discovering joy, a smile, a cherished memory. Give yourself the satisfaction that you’re doing everything you can to make their life as full as possible. Join us… on Memory Lane.

Gene Therapy Eyed as Alzheimer’s Treatment

New research suggests that gene therapy could slow the devastating mental decline of those with Alzheimer’s disease by stopping brain cells from dying.

Seven Alzheimer’s patients did better on cognition tests than would have been expected after protective proteins were implanted into their brains, says a team of U.S. researchers.

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By Randy Dotinga
Forbes, April 25, 2005

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Donepezil may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s onset

The New England Journal of Medicine (Published at www.nejm.org April 13, 2005. 10.1056/NEJMoa050151) reports on the effectiveness of Vitamin E and the drug, donepezil, in slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Conclusion: Vitamin E had no benefit in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Although after three years, the rate of progression to Alzheimer’s disease was not lower among patients treated with donepezil than among those given placebo, donepezil therapy was associated with a lower rate of progression to Alzheimer’s disease during the first 12 months of treatment.