Tracing dementia: Reminiscence therapy in and from place

Across different disciplines, there has been increasing interest in the relationships between early-stage dementia, place and different forms of treatment. Reminiscence therapy has demonstrated benefits in stalling the progression of dementia, especially in its early-stage, and within such therapies, relationships between place memory and the beneficial triggering effect of place-based events and personal narratives have become important aspects. Promoting physical activity outdoors is associated with better management of dementia that additionally recognises a potential role for meaningful local places and spaces. Much of this place-based research, including go-alongs, are informed by mobile methodologies, with new spatial technologies (beyond risk-informed tracking) having much potential when used directly with patients within and outside their home places. However, there remain questions about the feasibility of using such methodologies for the purposes of place-based intervention among individuals with early-stage dementia. We document a recent proof-of-concept study, AIM-WARM, that investigated the potential impact of combining the exercise of walking and reminiscence therapy, in early Alzheimer's disease groups, to explore how such technologically-enabled place-based tools worked. Instrumental and walkability measures were augmented by digital mapping and a spatial video app, Ubipix, to capture go-alongs across familiar routes traced out within the town of Maynooth (Ireland). Specific findings identified positive results in relation to four distinct aspects of the study: walkability, cognitive instruments, the capturing of place-traces and a positive narrative response to being and moving outdoors. Additional methodological reflection considered the value of go-alongs to capture traces of people's past within their current everyday neighbourhoods, to help better understand and represent the voice of people living with dementia within community settings.