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Title:
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A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM TO ASSIST RETRAINING OF MEMORY IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM ALZHEIMERS DISEASE |
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Author(s):
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Gill Jones , Gillian Pearce , Ian Winchurch |
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ISBN:
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972-8924-16-X |
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Editors:
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Pedro Isaías, Maggie McPherson and Frank Bannister |
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Year:
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2006 |
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Edition:
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2 |
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Keywords:
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Altzheimers, disease, prototype, medical, system, HCI. |
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Type:
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Short Paper |
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First Page:
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207 |
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Last Page:
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210 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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Altzheimers is a progressive disease that affects millions of people world wide. In particular the condition affects the
short term memory of afflicted individuals, with the result that sufferers may become incapable of performing everyday
tasks without assistance. This paper reports on how a personal-computer based developmental prototype could benefit
people with Alzheimers disease, providing a method of retraining their memory and giving them access to photographs
of their friends and family to assist the sufferers recall peoples names. Emphasis was placed throughout on the need to
design a simple interface to meet the abilities of potential users.
In the prototype system, a series of step-wise images instructs the patient in an ordinary task such as making a cup of tea,
how to wash themselves or make toast. Our software is versatile in that it uses schematic figures onto which the head and
face of a particular patient or other individual may be transposed. This assists with familiarity in undertaking the simple
tasks of every day life, and serves as an aide memoire for the afflicted individual. The system additionally offers the
user practice in spelling simple words given a visual cue, and recognition of particular individuals known to them. The
system is tailored using photographs of people and places relevant to each users life.
This research demonstrates how the application of simple computing tools and the tailoring of the human-computer
interface specifically for users with Alzheimers disease can result in a system capable of enhancing their quality of life. |
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