By "memory blues" we include all sorts of memory challenges whether they are called "Alzheimer's" or some other related dementia or acquired brain injury. Others can worry about clinical niceties while here we focus on managing these challenges and enjoying life.

By "dancing away" we include all sorts of activities which enrich lives of persons with these challenges.

Entries below are results of a thorough review of literature representing what we know about these activities. Annotated results are grouped into six categories.

You can contribute comments and contribute via email for us to add to these results. Email to: moyer.don.f@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Answering some Questions about this Blog

Mona Johnson asked me several very good questions about this blog and I'll share my answers here.

The persons I hope will use the blog comprise pros in the field and activists like Mona like me like many DASNI members and even persons living with the challenges.

Getting all the best existing research in one place and annotated by Renee from the point of view of a researcher having excellent grasp of reliable research methods shows the state of the art and gives us the opportunity to look at the annotated results for answers to our original three questions:

1 What do we know about means for enriching lives of persons having memory blues?

2 Can these means be helpful to these persons living at home?

3 Can information technologies be used to help implement these means for these persons living at home?

One conclusion is that the state of the art speaks mainly to other questions. I haven't fully digested the results yet; as I do I'll likely form other conclusions.

Conclusions etc. from other users of these results are desired. One reason for posting the results in this form is so that others can ask questions of the state of the art and draw their conclusions and make suggestions.

I hope that pros will see opportunities for research which will speak more to our questions and will produce useful and reliable results. And, I hope that pros will see opportunities to adapt activities – using information technologies for example – to help persons living at home; I've been waving this banner for years since I know that it can be done, but nothing happens. I hope activists will push and aid pros to grasp these opportunities, where "grasp" should be understood in the sense of understand and in the sense of take hold of.

I also hope that the model will catch on, the model being where lay persons take research ideas to researchers, participate in designing research, raise funds to pay for the research, etc. etc. (as many persons did for AIDS research for example).

Renee will write a scholarly paper giving more context, drawing conclusions, and making suggestions.

Contributed by Don Moyer.

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