The efficacy of utilizing prosthetic memory aids to facilitate communication in patients afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.

摘要

Individuals afflicted with Alzheimer's disease exhibit a wide variety of symptoms. One of the most devastating effects of the disease is the loss of the ability to communicate effectively with family and loved ones.;The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of using a prosthetic memory aid, in the form of a memory wallet, with Alzheimer's patients. The premise behind the research was that the use of prosthetic aids would assist the Alzheimer's patient in providing factual, relevant information during conversational probes.;Five senior-citizens and a family member or caregiver for each participated in the study and were required to meet with the researcher to develop the memory aid and administer three separate testing measures. Four of the five subjects evidenced an increase in scores across treatment phases, which was attributed to the use of the memory aids during final assessment procedures at the end of the treatment phase.