Coimagination method: Communication support system with collected images and its evaluation via memory task

Abstract

Prevention of dementia is a crucial issue in this aged society. We propose coimagination method for prevention of dementia through supporting interactive communication with images. Coimagination method aims to activate three cognitive functions: episode memory, division of attention, and planning function, which decline at mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants of the coimagination program bring images according to the theme and communicate with them. They share feeling rather than memory, which is a major difference between coimagination and reminiscence. They take memory task whether they remember the owner or theme of images after the series of sessions. We held coimagination program successfully at the welfare institution for elderly people in Kashiwa city, Japan. Each session was held one hour per week for five times. The result of the task indicates that the subjects showed empathy with each other. The effectiveness of the proposed method was validated through the experiment. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.