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academies
Nov12-13, 2018 | Paris, France
Central Nervous System & Therapeutics
International Conference on
Journal of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Research | Volume 3
Prevention of Dementia by means of Robotic Music Therapy
Kazue Sawami
1
, Kimura M
1
, Kitamura T
1
, Kawaguchi M
1
, Suishu C
2
, Morisaki N
3
and
Hattori S
4
1
Nara Medical Universit, Japan
2
Shubun University, Japan
3
Himeji University, Japan
4
Wakayama Medical University, Japan
Introduction:
Our preliminary trial revealed the results of
music therapy involving a combination of brain training
tasks, which was performed for three months. A significant
improvement in the participants’ cognitive ability was identified
(p<0.05) 1. We developed a method whereby the elderly
participants danced to familiar music while performing brain
training tasks 2. We set the music therapy to be delivered
by a robot in order to more widely promote the value of
such therapy for elderly persons. Since therapy delivered by
robots can additionally be expected to promote psychological
healing effects, we also investigated this expectation.
Method:
A questionnaire concerning the uses of robot therapy
was distributed to a group of elderly participants in a health
promotion program.
Results:
The responses of 62 participants (28 male, 34 female)
were analyzed. The average age of the participants was 67.7
± 5.3 years. Some 62.9% of the elderly people expected to
develop an intimate friendshipwith the robot. Further, 19.4%of
the elderly wanted to performmusic therapy and brain training
with the robot, while 6.5% of them wanted the robot to be
responsible for their physical care.
Discussion and conclusion:
The majority of elderly people
exhibited a psychological attachment to their therapy robot. In
addition, the elderly people wanted the robot to perform both
brain training and care-related tasks. The value of brain training
delivered by robots is likely to be significantly enhanced by the
psychologicalattachmentfeltbytheelderlyinrelationtotherobot.
Speaker Biography
Kazue Sawami of the presenter of this research is a professor at NaraMedical University.
Her Ph.D. acquisition is a health science, and the recent study is the prevention of
dementia in elderly people. Research currently being developed is the intervention by
artificial intelligence, and support of the elderly by the information equipment remote
control system.
e:
sawami@naramed-u.ac.jp