CIRCA (Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid)

CIRCA (Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid) is a computer programme which was developed between the University of Dundee and the University of St. Andrews. It is designed to help patients suffering from dementia. The aim is to engage people with dementia in conversation and improve their quality of life. This is done by viewing on screen an extensive collection of video clips, photographs, and music, which it is believed will trigger an individual’s recollection of events in the past.

Circa’s website make a number of good points. “Short-term memory plays a very important role in human communication. It helps to maintain the thread of a conversation, it ensures that topics are fully discussed, and it allows new topics to be introduced at appropriate times. Impaired short-term memory can therefore have severe impact on a person’s conversations, resulting in topics being repeatedly introduced, and giving the appearance that the person is not listening. This can be very disturbing and frustrating for the conversation partner, and can in turn have a negative effect on the person as they become aware of their partner’s negative emotions but do not understand how they have come about.

“Finding ways to promote communication for elderly people with dementia is vitally important. Reminiscence sessions take advantage of the enjoyment that older people, both with and without dementia, have in relating well-rehearsed and well remembered previous experiences or events of personal and emotional significance.

“Of particular interest is the fact that in dementia, long-term memory is often relatively well preserved even though short-term memory is impaired. This project has produced an innovatively designed reminiscence experience based on interactive multimedia. The CIRCA system provides the user with a hypermedia structure for their communication and thereby creates a livelier and more engaging form of joint reminiscence activity than is possible with a paper scrapbook.

“Evaluation of the system with people with dementia and their carers has shown that, compared to traditional reminiscence methods, CIRCA helps to create a more successful conversation, facilitating increased communication from the person with dementia, and helping them to take control of the interaction.”

The programme is now available through a company created by the two universities.

Source : Circa website