Katsuo Yamanaka

Development of psychological intervention and evaluation methods for dementia care

Katsuo Yamanaka

Human system｜Associate Professor

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2015) guidelines for family physicians on the use of psychotropic drugs to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) (2nd edition) state that, due to the risk of side effects when using drugs, It is recommended that you consider and implement a non-invasive approach with your family and care staff.However, there are no well-structured protocols for such non-drug approaches.Our laboratory is creating programs and systems that control BPSD, maintain the cognitive functions of people with dementia, and lead to improved lifestyles and social participation.These programs often use games and tools, and I hope that the power of design can create positive effects and impacts.

Main research themes

Methods for maintaining cognitive function for people with dementia (e.g. cognitive activation therapy, reminiscence methods)
Methods to control the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and improve the quality of life (QOL) of the person and their family (e.g. behavioral analysis)
Developing QOL scales for people with dementia and their caregivers depending on the setting and culture
Development of a walking robot that helps prevent elderly people from becoming cooped up