Recognition of self among persons with dementia: Picture versus names as environmental supports

The physical environment can promote the functional ability of persons with dementia. Many care facilities use environmental signage (e.g., names on doors) to facilitate adaptive behavior (e.g., room finding). However, the effects of such signage on residents' functioning are not well understoo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironment and behavior Vol. 36; no. 3; p. 424
Main Authors Gross, Jennifer, Harmon, Mary E, Myers, Rebecca A, Evans, Rachel L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Thousand Oaks SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC 01.05.2004
Subjects
Alzheimer's disease
Dementia
Environment
Human factors research
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The physical environment can promote the functional ability of persons with dementia. Many care facilities use environmental signage (e.g., names on doors) to facilitate adaptive behavior (e.g., room finding). However, the effects of such signage on residents' functioning are not well understood. In three experiments, we investigated if persons with moderate to severe dementia had the required skills necessary to benefit from signage. Compared to a control condition (recognition of fellow residents' photographs), a high percentage of participants could identify written names and photographs of themselves (Experiment 1). Moreover, name and photographic labels helped participants identify belongings (Experiment 2). Training improved some participants' recognition of their own photographs but not of their fellow residents' photographs (Experiment 3). These findings are consistent with research on self-reference and age-related changes in face recognition and reading, and they suggest that many persons with dementia may have the requisite abilities to benefit from prosthetic signage.
ISSN:0013-9165
1552-390X