Smartphone App Uses Reminiscence Therapy to Trigger Memories in People With Dementia

The free My House of Memories smartphone app developed by the Minnesota Historical Society helps people with dementia recall old memories via reminiscence therapy, reports Being Patient . The app has more than 100 pages of curated images designed to evoke events from the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers. Users can tap through images depicting things that were popular during their childhood. "The app can be a springboard for conversation about something other than the weather," notes Maureen Aksamit with the Charter House-Mayo Clinic Retirement Living Community in Rochester, Minn. "It's an opportunity to enjoy each other's company." A 2018 Cochrane review determined reminiscence therapy can modestly enhance quality of life, cognition, communication, and possibly mood in people with dementia, depending on how it is administered, and how frequently. Meanwhile, an earlier study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association said reminiscence therapy can effectively treat depression and cognitive difficulties in people with dementia, and should be applied as routine treatment for institutionalized residents.