Application and Effect of Media Therapy to the Recreational Activities at Group Homes Reduction of Spiritual Pain of Elderly People with Dementia

Abstract

At group home “Terado”, improvement of quality of lives of the elderly suffered from dementia is being attempted through a method called Media Therapy using interactive digital photo albums in order to achieve enjoyable days and realization of individuality in their lives. In Media Therapy, we utilize an interactive digital photo album that is a collection of photographs and videos of the personal history and life story of a resident with dementia. This album is used for several sessions where the resident watches this album projected on a screen with the people involved such as his/her family, the care staff, his/her regular doctor, nurse or occupational therapist, and enjoy a casual conversation while viewing the video. As a result, the resident displayed mental calmness during the implementation of Media Therapy. Moreover, by sharing the life history of the resident, the care staff also displayed improvement in their care skill and grew confidence toward care work. Judging from both subjective opinions and objective data, there was clear improvement in the quality of care. In this study, we report the result of applying this Media Therapy to the team care of care staff, which is necessary in the frontline care work. The interactive digital photo album produced for Media Therapy was used for the daily recreation at the group home, which involved not only the resident for whom the album was produced, but also other residents of the facility. Reduction of BPSD (behavioral and psychological symptom of dementia), which is difficult to treat through dementia care, was observed. This is inferred to have resulted from the change in the relationship between the dementia patient and the care staff, and the patient and other residents. Through the power of human relationship, the hardship of the dementia patient was alleviated, and resulted in the reduction of BPSD. Based on this observation, we focused on the relationship between the caregiver and care receiver, and discussed the method for constructing the relationship between them, which is the basis of care work.