21 May 2006: TV could help dementia patients
TELEVISION could help early-onset dementia patients re-establish their speech functions, according to a West Australian study.
Speech pathologists Kim Elliot and Jade Cartwright conducted a pilot study on people with non-Alzheimer forms of dementia, which produce major language disorders. Four people aged between 59 and 65 years with semantic dementia and primary progressive aphasia watched the ABC TV program Australian Story over a 10-week period. They then discussed the contents afterwards in a social setting. "Initially they were probably comprehending one out of 10 questions without support ... after the group they were comprehending probably 50 or 60 per cent of it," Ms Elliot said today.
From (sundaytimes.news.com.au)