Yamanaka Katsuo

The MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) guidelines for prescribing psychoactive drugs for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) for general practitioners (2^nd ed., 2015) recommends discussing and adopting a drug-free approach with family and care workers before prescribing psychoactive drugs due to the risk of adverse effects. However, there is no systematic protocol available for the drug-free approach. In this laboratory, we develop programs and frameworks to control BPSD and help maintain cognitive function in people with dementia, which will lead to a better quality of life and social engagement. Games and tools are often used in such programs. We hope the power of design adopted in such games and tools will bring about positive effects for people with dementia.