Networked Reminiscence Therapy for Individuals with Dementia by Using Photo and Video Sharing
Noriaki Kuwahara, Shinji Abe, Kiyoshi Yasuda, Kazuhiro Kuwabara · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06) · doi:10.1145/1168987.1169010
Summary
This paper presents a networked reminiscence therapy system that enables remote delivery of therapy to people with dementia using IP videophones combined with web-based photo and video sharing. Reminiscence therapy — where a therapist uses photos, objects, and conversation about the past to stimulate memories — is effective for increasing self-esteem and reducing behavioural disturbances in people with dementia, but is usually conducted in group sessions led by experienced staff at institutions. Due to care attendant shortages, patients at home rarely access this therapy. The system connects a therapist's terminal and a patient's terminal via IP videophones over broadband networks, with shared content (photos and reminiscence videos) stored on a Community Platform accessible via HTTPS. Both terminals use touch-panel screens for simple interaction. The therapist can remotely select and display photos on the patient's terminal, pan and zoom to specific objects or people in photos, and play reminiscence videos. The patient can touch objects of interest on their display, with the touched position highlighted on the therapist's screen. Reminiscence videos are produced by adding background music, audio-visual effects, panning, zooming, and narration to old photos, with semantic synchronisation between visual effects and narration.
Key findings
Two experiments were conducted. First, a hospital study with nine dementia patients (ages 65-92, Hasegawa scores 5-22, mild to severe dementia) compared videophone versus face-to-face communication. Patients answered 20 prepared questions about their youth, hometown, family, and favourite things. Results showed no significant difference in total response time (16.5 minutes videophone vs 14.1 minutes face-to-face) or eagerness to respond (3.62 vs 3.55 on a 5-point scale), demonstrating that mild and moderate dementia patients could communicate effectively by videophone. Second, a field trial at two senior care facilities near Tokyo involved seven subjects (ages 71-92, mild to severe dementia) and six remote volunteers over approximately two months. Networked sessions with reminiscence content sharing scored comparably to face-to-face sessions on comfort, potency, and sophistication factors (derived from 28-adjective semantic differential questionnaires). Without content sharing, networked sessions scored worse than face-to-face — indicating that the shared photos and videos were essential for maintaining engagement. Home care staff reported that sessions were very successful for some subjects, while others with very severe dementia had difficulty concentrating or recognising people in photos. Volunteers found photo sharing and pan-and-zoom functions most useful, while video sharing was considered difficult due to lack of conversational content.
Relevance
This research addresses a critical gap in dementia care: the inability to deliver effective non-pharmacological therapy to people living at home or in facilities with limited specialist staff. The finding that people with mild to moderate dementia can communicate effectively via videophone — contrary to the assumption that they would be confused by the technology — has significant implications for telehealth and remote care. The essential role of shared reminiscence content (photos and videos) in maintaining the quality of networked sessions demonstrates that video calling alone is insufficient; meaningful shared materials are needed to structure the interaction and stimulate memory. The touch-panel interface design, requiring only simple one-touch operations, is an important accessibility consideration for users with cognitive impairment. This work anticipated the explosion of video-based telehealth that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its findings about the viability and requirements of remote therapy for people with dementia remain directly relevant to the ongoing expansion of digital health services for elderly populations.
Tags: dementia · reminiscence therapy · telehealth · video conferencing · aging · cognitive impairment · assistive technology · photo sharing · remote care