Cuing prospective memory with smartphone-based calendars in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Objectives: We investigated the effect of using smartphone-based calendars (Google and Outlook Calendar) on prospective memory in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: we recruited two groups of participants with mild AD. In one group, prospective memory was cued by a paper-and-pencil calendar, whereas in the second group prospective memory was cued by a smartphone calendar application. After 2 weeks of training to familiarize the participants with calendar use, we invited participants to perform three prospective events per week (e.g., remembering to go to the grocery store) during a 3-week period. Events were cued either by the paper- or smartphone-based calendar. Results: we observed fewer omissions of prospective events in the smartphone-based calendar group than in the paper-based calendar group. Conclusions: our study suggests positive effects of smartphone calendar applications on prospective memory in AD.