Augumentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) based on the cognition of the eldrly with dementia and characteristics of family caregivers

• Project/Area Number: 15K00214
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cognitive science
• Research Institution: Kyoto Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshimura Takako 京都学園大学, 健康医療学部, 准教授 (40454673)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 岩田 まな 新潟リハビリテーション大学(大学院), 大学院高次脳機能障害コース, 客員教授 (70146273)
• Research Collaborator: SAITO Akie ; OSAWA Aiko
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 認知症 / 拡大・代替コミュニケーション / AAC / 認知機能 / 家族介護者 / コミュニケーション / 認知特性 / 家族 / 拡大・代替コミュニケーション(AAC) / 高齢者 / 介護者 / 拡大・代替法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We studied how to alterate communication strategy to persuit well-being of communication in dementia and reduce burden of family caregivers of the elderly with dementia. We investigated how to integrate cognitive dysfunctions in dementia and characteristics of familiy caregivers to intervene communication between the elderly with dementia and their family caregivers.
We found a significant correlation between memory decline and discourse abilities, one of the indices of communicative abilites, in normal elderly. On the contrary, in dementia spontaneous word retrieval and discourse ablities were significantly correlated. Moreover, it was also elucidated that the burden of family caregivers were accumulated by discourse disablities. Communication is interactive, therefore it is important to intervene not only the elderly with dementia but family caregivers.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

認知症へのコミュニケーション介入では，認知機能の状態が違うにもかかわらず，同じ方法で介入を行い，認知機能の個別性に対応したコミュニケーション支援をしているとは言い難い現状がある。さらに，認知症の家族介護者の介護負担感に注目した研究は多いが，認知症の認知特性と家族介護者のコミュニケーション方法をまとめた報告は少ない。
本研究は，別々に取り扱われることが多かった認知特性研究と家族介護者研究を融合した点で学術的新規性がある。さらに，進行性の病態である認知症であっても，現状維持のみではなく，人としての豊かさを支援する方法がコミュニケーションの観点から可能であることを示した点が，社会的意義と考える。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] 情景知覚と高次の情報処理過程 (2019)
  • Author(s): 吉村 貴子
  • Journal Title: 高次脳機能研究 Volume: 39
  • NAID: 130007870183
• [Journal Article] Effective methods for Communication with the Elderly with Dementia and Interventions for Caregivers Perspectives from Studies of Speech-Language Disorders (2017)
  • Author(s): 吉村貴子，岩田まな，斉藤章江，植田郁恵，大沢愛子
  • Journal Title: 京都学園大学健康医療学部紀要 Volume: 2 Pages: 1-11
  • DOI: 10.20558/00001186
  • NAID: 120006209635
  • URL: http://id.nii.ac.jp/1455/00001186/
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-28
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] レポート｢現場最前線｣ 認知症高齢者と介護家族間のコミュニケーションを支える言語聴覚療法研究への提言 (2017)
  • Author(s): 岩田まな，吉村貴子，丸山めぐみ
  • Journal Title: 言語聴覚研究 Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Pages: 65-69
  • DOI: 10.11477/mf.6001200116
  • ISSN: 1349-5828
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-15
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] 高齢者に対するリハビリテーションの意義 1．認知症 ２）集団訓練 (2016)
  • Author(s): 吉村 貴子，岩田まな
  • Journal Title: Geriatric Medicine Volume: 54(6)
• [Presentation] How would Cognitive Functions of dementia affect Well-being of their Family Caregiver? (2019)
  • Author(s): Takako Yoshimura, Manna Iwata, Akie Saito, Ikuue Ueda, Aiko Osawa
  • Organizer: 34th Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The relationship between cognitive functions and hearing tested by the whispered voice in elderly (2017)
  • Author(s): Takako Yoshimura, Manna Iwata, Aiko Osawa, Shinichiro Maeshima, Toshimasa Matsuhira
  • Organizer: 32nd International Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The relationship between lexical retrieval in discourse and cognitive functions in dementia -In comparison with the elderly population- (2017)
  • Author(s): Takako Yoshimura, Manna Iwata, Akie Saito, Aiko Osawa, Ikue Ueda, Shinichiro Maeshima
  • Organizer: 7th International conference on Geriatrics and Gerontology & Palliative Nursing
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Relationship between discourse ability and hearing in dementia (2017)
  • Author(s): Takako Yoshimura, Manna Iwata, Akie Saito, Ikue Ueda, Aiko Osawa
  • Organizer: 5th Singapore Rehabilitation Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Word production in discourse and cognitive functions in elderly -the implication for the demented population- (2016)
  • Author(s): Takako Yoshimura, Manna Iwata, Akie Saito, Aiko Osawa, Shinichiro Maeshima
  • Organizer: International Psychogeriatric Associasion - Asia Regeional Meeting 2016 Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: TAIWAN NTUH International Convention Center
  • Year and Date: 2016-12-09
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 認知症におけるワーキングメモリの特徴-数唱とリーディングスパンによる相違- (2015)
  • Author(s): 吉村 貴子，苧阪満里子，前島伸一郎，大沢愛子
  • Organizer: 第13回日本ワーキングメモリ学会
  • Place of Presentation: 京都大学 文学部校舎1階（京都）
  • Year and Date: 2015-12-19
• [Presentation] 認知症におけるエピソード記憶と意味記憶の関係 (2015)
  • Author(s): 吉村 貴子，前島伸一郎，大沢愛子，尾崎文教，岩田まな
  • Organizer: 第39回日本高次脳機能障害学会
  • Place of Presentation: ベルサール渋谷ファースト（東京）
  • Year and Date: 2015-12-10