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Google Maps vs dementia
Virtual time travel to various landmarks stimulates
memories and emotions in research.
W
hat if virtual time travel could
help people suffering from
dementia?
It’s the question researchers have been
exploring using immersive technology
and reminiscence therapy at Western
Sydney University.
A six-week trail based in Sydney took
30 participants from a BaptistCare nursing
home through a virtual journey using
a series of landmarks on Google Maps
and Street View to trigger memories
and emotions.
Cognitive psychologist professor
Kate Stevens said personal historical
information, such as music and images,
could trigger memories for those suffering
from dementia or long-term memory loss.
“This form of therapy provides an
opportunity for participants to talk about
their memories, with the added bonus of ...
reducing social isolation, improving mood,
and helping to sustain relationships,”
Stevens said.
The immersive technology is designed
to intensify reminiscence therapy and its
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effectiveness using a setup of 2D and 3D
visual cues on large wrap-around screens.
Dementia sufferer and trial participant
John Goodison, 84, said the experience
triggered memories spanning from his
toddler years to his journey from England
to Australia.
“I remember a romance on the ship on
the trip (to Sydney),” Goodison said. “Her
name was Shirley, but she got off the boat
in Melbourne.”
There was also the walnut tree in the
backyard of his childhood London home
and the time he fell out of the first-storey
window as a toddler, he said.
“Everything came back and it
was wonderful.”
Goodison’s daughter, Stephanie Spencer,
said she had been able to bond with her
father over his history.
“It opens up conversations between us
... at a family reunion, he was able to talk
about all these things and it’s lightened him
up a bit,” Spencer said. ■
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