“MEMORY IS VERY MUCH INFLUENCED BY INTENTIONS, INTERESTS AND EMOTIONS.”

 

 

 

The research suggests a senior’s level of engagement will highly affect their cognitive abilities—and how engaged people are might go a long way to explain the huge variation in memory performance among seniors. In other words, the key to a sharp mind in old age might not be computer brain teasers, but finding the people, topics and activities that inspire us.

Using artwork—and sensors—to understand dementia
As a geriatric rehabilitation nurse and professor at Ryerson’s Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Kristine Newman sees the many ways that societal stigma and lack of understanding regarding dementia is harmful. It stops people from getting the care and supports they need, she explains.

Driven by her desire to combat the stigma, Newman’s research shines a light on the lived experiences of people with dementia. In her current project, Newman’s team has outfitted the rooms of people with dementia with motion and touch sensors, given the subjects wrist monitors that track vital signs such as heart rate, and installed hallway video (all done with consent). The research team is developing a predictive system that establishes patterns, in vital signs and movements to recognize the subtle early signs of agitation. Newman’s research is supported by the Alzheimer Society Research Program and the Faculty of Community Services.

This fall, Newman’s team will express the research findings in a unique way, through an exhibit of artworks—drawings, videos and written words—at the Toronto Rehab Institute. The art, inspired by the data, will reveal what it’s like to feel helpless, confused, and overwhelmed by frightening stimuli. Newman hopes the project will help the research resonate with a broader audience while creating more empathy for people with dementia.

“Often research is disseminated in a journal article and inaccessible to the general public,” she says. Art can reach many generations, she points out, which is important as Newman’s earlier research shows young people who frequently care for older relatives with dementia don’t receive enough guidance and recognition.

Newman hopes the sensor-driven project can inform ‘smart’ systems that identify some of the early signs of stress in a person with dementia. Systems could have automated responses, perhaps calm music could be played or a care provider could be alerted. “With advances in technology, we can promote a safe environment for people so they can be more independent.”

Ryerson’s research runs the gamut from early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease to improving the lives of those in the advanced stages of the disease. Partnerships with health-care institutions and seniors in the community propels the research—turning stigma associated with dementia to understanding and hope.