None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The overall aim of this research is to explore what the effects of an electronic memory book have on the quality and quantity of conversations in adults with mild to moderate dementia. Previous studies investigating external memory aids and memory books as an approach to target cognitive communication impairment secondary to dementia have focussed on low-tech alternative and augmentative communication aids. Few studies have looked at the developing digital media and how this can be incorporated into therapy with people with dementia. We know from established research by Bourgeois (1990), and replicated in various studies differing in approach and population (Bourgeois, 1993; Chang, & Bourgeois, 2012; Fried-Oken et al, 2012), that adults with a moderate dementia benefit from introduction of a memory book to improve the quality of their conversational content. Hypothesis: The use of a digital Memory Book will facilitate conversation with individuals with a mild to moderate dementia by reducing ambiguous utterances and increase factual on-topic statements made by participants.
Interventions
Participants will be involved in developing a memory book on an iPad using an app with the assistance of the researcher and their family member. This memory book will then be presented to the participant during treatment phases to measure the effect on the participant's on the quantity and quality of utterances. Each conversation will be transcribed verbatim by the researcher and analysed and coded as trained on-topic statements, novel on-topic statements, ambiguous utterances, unintelligible ut
Participants will be involved in developing a memory book on an iPad using an app with the assistance of the researcher and their family member. This memory book will then be presented to the participant during treatment phases to measure the effect on the participant's on the quantity and quality of utterances. Each conversation will be transcribed verbatim by the researcher and analysed and coded as trained on-topic statements, novel on-topic statements, ambiguous utterances, unintelligible utterances, perseverative utterances, error statements, other utterances, partner prompts, partner statements, partner questions, and partner others. Participants will be engaged in a one-off session to develop the memory book which will take approximately 1 hour. Baseline and treatment sessions will commence over a 5 week period with 3 half-hour sessions a week. A maintenance phase will be conducted in week 7 of the study which will involve the participant in two sessions, one with the researcher, and one with their family member, to determine whether behaviours in treatment phase are maintained following a two week break and whether there is generalisation of observed behaviours with family member.
Sponsors
University of Canterbury
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria for the participants with dementia for this study include: speak English; live at home with their spouse or another family member; have been diagnosed with dementia by a physician; able to hear adequately for one-on-one conversation as judged by the researcher; have passed the spaced-retrieval screen with the clinician; have a family member who is also willing to participate in the study; and able to use a swipe action to turn the page on an Apple iPad Trademark independently. Inclusion criteria for the family member participants in this study include: are 18 years of age or over); are a frequent conversational partner with the participant with dementia (on a daily basis) as indicated by self-report; speak English ; do not have a communication disorder (for example, aphasia) as indicated by self-report and are able to hear adequately for one-on-one conversation as judged by the researcher.
Exclusion criteria
The exclusion criteria for the participants in this study include: a comorbid psychiatric disorder or aphasia; severe visual impairment or blindness; hemiparesis which restricts ability to swipe across Apple iPad Trademark touch-screen.
Outcome results
None listed