Technology-aided verbal instructions to help persons with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease perform daily activities

Purpose Persons with mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease experience increasing activity engagement failures, with consequent cognitive, social, and physical drawbacks. The purpose of this paper is to assess a technology-aided program to help these persons to independently start and carry out daily activities at the appropriate times. Design/methodology/approach The program was implemented with eight participants according to an adapted non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. The program provided each participant with: timely reminders about the activities to carry out, verbal instructions about the activity steps, and brief encouragements and praise. Findings All participants showed improvement during the program, that is, they managed to independently start the activities at the scheduled times and perform those activities with satisfactory levels of accuracy (i.e. with mean percentages of correct steps nearing or exceeding 90). Originality/value A technology-aided program, such as that used in this study, may help persons with mild and moderate Alzheimer disease engage in daily activities, with possible benefits for their cognitive functioning, social image, and physical condition.

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Technology-Based Behavioral Interventions for Daily Activities and Supported Ambulation in People With Alzheimer’s Disease

American Journal of Alzheimer s Disease & Other Dementias® ◽

10.1177/1533317518775038 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 318-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Giulio E. Lancioni ◽

Nirbhay N. Singh ◽

Mark F. O’Reilly ◽

Jeff Sigafoos ◽

Fiora D’Amico ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Notebook Computer ◽

Step Responses

Objectives: These 2 studies evaluated technology-based behavioral interventions for promoting daily activities and supported ambulation in people with mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Methods: Study 1 included 8 participants who were taught to start and carry out daily activities on their own using a tablet or smartphone device, which provided activity reminders, step instructions, and praise. Study 2 included 9 participants who were taught to engage in brief periods of ambulation using a walker combined with a tilt microswitch and a notebook computer, which monitored step responses and provided stimulation and prompts. Results: The participants of study 1 succeeded in starting the activities independently and carrying them out accurately. The participants of study 2 largely increased their ambulation levels and also showed signs of positive involvement (eg, smiles and verbalizations). Conclusion: The aforementioned technology-based interventions may represent practical means for supporting people with Alzheimer’s disease.

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Hallucinations in a Patient with Alzheimer’s Disease During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Case Study

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease Reports ◽

10.3233/adr-200241 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 455-458

Author(s):

Mohamad El Haj ◽

Frank Larøi ◽

Karim Gallouj

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Family Members ◽

Physical Contact ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Social Distancing

While social distancing may be deemed necessary in order to avoid COVID-19 infections, the lockdown may impact mental health of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We present a case study involving hallucinations in a patient with AD who lives in a nursing home during the COVID-19 crisis. We compared this patient’s hallucination scores before and during the lockdown. We observed increased hallucinations during, compared to before, the lockdown. These increased hallucinations can be attributed to a number of elements such as the decreased in daily activities, social distancing, lack of physical contact with family members, and loneliness during the lockdown.

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Supporting daily activities and indoor travel of persons with moderate Alzheimer's disease through standard technology resources

Research in Developmental Disabilities ◽

10.1016/j.ridd.2013.04.020 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 34 (8) ◽

pp. 2351-2359 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Giulio E. Lancioni ◽

Nirbhay N. Singh ◽

Mark F. O’Reilly ◽

Jeff Sigafoos ◽

Caterina Renna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Standard Technology ◽

Technology Resources

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Impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the quality of life and daily activities of the elderly

10.5327/1516-3180.217 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniele Sutherland W. Rizziolli ◽

Ana Maria Ramos Miranda ◽

Andressa Schimidt do Nascimento ◽

Cristiane dos Santos Lima ◽

Jade Menezes Maia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

The Elderly ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Mesh Terms ◽

Final Sample ◽

The Impact

Introduction: With the increase in life expectancy, there is an increase in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Characterized by being a degenerative and irreversible neurological disease, that leads to developing a dependence for daily activities. Objective:To analyze the impact of AD on the quality of life and daily activities of the elderly. Methodology:Integrative literature review, with bibliographic survey carried out on an international basis (PUBMED). Criteria for the selection of articles was: be published in English, in the period 2018-2020, available in full, whose theme was “Impacts on the quality of life that AD causes in the elderly”. Results: For the sample of this review 59 articles were selected, of which 48 articles were not specific to the topic, leaving a final sample of 11 articles included in the review. Identifying that AD has a strong impact on patient’s quality of life, such as reduced autonomy and dependence on daily activities. Conclusion: It was observed that there is a reduction in the quality of life of patients with AD, related to loss of autonomy and dependence in daily activities. Mesh- Terms: Degenerative Disease, Aged, Insanity.

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The Eyes Are More Eloquent Than Words: Anticipatory Looking as an Index of Event Memory in Alzheimer's Disease

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.642464 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yuki Hanazuka ◽

Akinori Futamura ◽

Satoshi Hirata ◽

Akira Midorikawa ◽

Kenjiro Ono ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

The Other ◽

Verbal Response ◽

Event Memory ◽

Verbal Instructions ◽

Precise Diagnosis ◽

Future Events ◽

Better Than ◽

Anticipatory Looking

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disorder in which individuals experience a difficulty in maintaining event memory for when, where, who, and what. However, verbal deficiency, one of the other symptoms of AD, may prevent a precise diagnosis of event memory because existing tests are based on verbal instructions by the tester and verbal response from patient. Therefore, non-verbal methods are essential to evaluate event memory in AD. The present study, using eye tracking, investigated whether AD patients deployed anticipatory looking to target acts related to future events based on previous experience when an identical video was presented to them twice. The results revealed the presence of anticipatory looking, although AD patients were unable to verbally report the content of the video. Our results illustrate that AD patients have a one-time event memory better than previously thought.

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Interactive architecture as a therapeutic environment for people with Alzheimer’s disease, a scoping review

Form Akademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk ◽

10.7577/formakademisk.4143 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Heidi Elnimr

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Therapeutic Environment ◽

Dementia Patients ◽

Interactive Architecture ◽

Global Population ◽

Positive Effect

As the global population ages, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) increases. AD is the most common cause of dementia. In recent years interactive architecture has been developed to enhance the lives of people coping with this disease. This article presents an extensive literature review from existent research projects on how assistive technology (AT) has been used as a physical and cognitive rehabilitation aid to AD and other dementia patients. The review served to identify gaps in AT implemented place. That revealed the following findings: (1) a notable improvement in both physical and cognitive rehabilitation when integrating AT in patients’ therapeutic environments, (2) a positive effect for caregivers when patients used AT individually, and (3) a lack of clarity due to limited studies on the use of AT for daily activities in residents’ rooms at healthcare centers. However, further studies are necessary to explore the AT potential integrating strategies to promote daily activities in the residents’ rooms at healthcare centers, and the architectural factors that could affect ATs’ efficiency.

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Persons with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease use verbal-instruction technology to manage daily activities: Effects on performance and mood

Developmental Neurorehabilitation ◽

10.1080/17518420903029493 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 181-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Giulio Lancioni ◽

Nirbhay Singh ◽

Mark O’Reilly ◽

Nadia Zonno ◽

Antonio Flora ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Verbal Instruction

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3. Learning Modules in a Support Group Context for Caregivers of Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.7854 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Wafa Nurdin ◽

Aicha Wane

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Support Groups ◽

Support Group ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Caregiver Support ◽

Learning Modules ◽

The Impact

The majority of community dwelling individuals with dementia have informal caregivers. With the risk of developing care related stress, it is important for community agencies, like the Alzheimer Society of Kingston (ASK), to provide support, resources, and information. The goal of this intervention was that caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) would improve physical, social, and mental well-being. A search of the literature, as well as surveys of support group facilitators, forty caregivers, and consultation with ASK helped determine information relevant to the caregivers. The purpose of this project was to develop learning modules on: a) using a problem-based strategy to assist with daily activities of the person they are caring for; b) self-care strategies; c) positive coping strategies; d) assertive communication skills, and e) home environment safety to be delivered during caregiver support groups. The module on a problem-based strategy to assist with daily activities was pilot tested, utilizing five caregivers. It was found that the learning module was approximately 30 minutes over the stated timeframe and the case study component of the module was ineffective. Recommendations include implementing the module as two parts. Furthermore, additional research is needed on the impact of the modules on caregiver stress and burden.

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