Digital tools help people with dementia reconnect, Danish study finds

Digital tools including memory cubes, virtual reality headsets and digital photo frames can improve the wellbeing of people with dementia, a Danish Health Authority study has found. DR reports that the authority’s review of 15 pilot projects also found benefits for relatives and care staff.

One example is 86-year-old Ung Ly, who lives at Ceres Centre, a dementia care home in Horsens. His son, Trien Ly, uses a Memory Cube to show him family-selected photos, videos and other memories on a television screen.

When an old photograph of Ung Ly wearing a Christmas sweater appeared, he became animated and said he wanted to wear it. He later refused to take it off, so his son bought two similar sweaters to allow for washing.

“It’s a really good aid because it can start a conversation,” Trien Ly said. His father often sits and gazes into space, he added.

The study also examined technologies such as sensory cubes and podcasts. Health Authority unit head Mads Biering la Cour said officials were surprised by how strongly the tools affected relatives, who could find new ways to spend time with family members.

Care-home staff can also use the tools to help residents feel calm and secure. In one example in the study, staff used images of turtles on a screen to soothe a resident during morning care, avoiding both resistance and medication that had been considered.

At Ceres Centre, activity worker Liz Langfeldt films dancing and group singing at events and adds the recordings to a Memory Cube. Residents watch them together, sing along and talk about the occasions.

Langfeldt said residents who are upset or restless often become noticeably happier and calmer when they use a Memory Cube together.

Trien Ly said his father has been doing well recently. During visits, they eat Vietnamese food before he starts the Memory Cube. “It’s a lovely feeling when he recognises something or remembers something he has been told,” he said.

The National Knowledge Centre for Dementia estimates that about 103,000 people aged 65 or older in Denmark live with dementia. It expects the number to exceed 146,000 by 2040 as the older population grows.