Development of training system of reading musical notes which enables elderly people or patients with dementia to enjoy music activity for health promotion.

2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23650345
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: ICHIE Masayoshi 東北大学, 大学院・医学系研究科, 教授 (20193427)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): AKAZAWA Kenzo 大阪工業大学, 工学部, 教授 (30029277) ; SATO Masayuki 三重大学, 大学院・医学系研究科, 准教授 (70303732) ; TSUKAHARA Tetsuya 京都医療センター, 臨床研究センター, 研究室長 (30217278)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OTERA Masako 東北大学, 大学院・医学系研究科, 助教 (70581049)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2012
• Keywords: 音楽療法 / 認知症 / 高齢者

Research Abstract

The training system of reading musical notes was developed by using a personal computer with a touch-panel display. Once a user touched a musical note on the display, a correct tune sounded and the name of the note was announced by synthesized voice at the same time. When this system was actually used for patients of dementia at a session of music therapy, fundamental problems became clear. Although operation of a system is easy for the patients, memorizing the operation was impossible because of dementia. They must learn the operation from the beginning at each time. We succeeded in development of the system but the range of clinical application was restricted.