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Designing Soundscapes for Alzheimer’s Disease Care, with Preliminary Clinical Observations

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Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music (CMMR 2019)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 12631))

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Abstract

Acoustic environment is a prime source of conscious and unconscious information which allows listeners to place themselves, to communicate, to feel, to remember. Recently, there has been a growing interest to the acoustic environment and its perceptual counterparts of care facilities. In this contribution, the authors describe the process of designing a new audio interactive apparatus for Alzheimer’s Disease care in the context of an active multidisciplinary research project led by a sound designer since 2018, in collaboration with a residential longterm care (EHPAD) in France, a geriatrician, a gerontologist, psychologists and caregivers. The apparatus, named «Madeleines Sonores» in reference to Proust’s madeleine, has been providing virtual soundscapes for two years 24/7 to elderly people suffering from Alzheimer disease. The configuration and sound processes of the apparatus are presented in relation to Alzheimer Disease care. Preliminary psychological and clinical observations are discussed in relation to dementia and to the activity of caring to evaluate the benefits of such a disposal in Alzheimer’s disease therapy and in caring dementia.

F. Voisin—Independant Researcher.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Considering here the term “therapeutic” in its definition from Ancient Greek which refers to «the art of giving a care» (θ ε ρ α π ε υ τ ι κ η). On the subject of intentionality, it seems interesting to note that the French terms “soigner” (to care) and “songer” (to think), which have been used in many spellings in Old French, probably have a common Latin origin (cf. https://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/songer, last accessed 2020/5/7).

  2. 2.

    Cf. Cron programs in Unix-like operating systems (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron).

  3. 3.

    All computers operating systems are GNU-Linux based. The on-board ARM based computers are Raspberry Pi3-B + with audio boards IQaudio Pi-DigiAMP + and in-ceiling 6.5″ loudspeakers QI 65C/St by QAcoustics (70 Hz to 16 kHz ± 3 dB, up to 90 dBA max pressure level). DSP is built using Pure Data open-source software [24].

  4. 4.

    Thanks to Mélinda Cherruault-Anouge, Master student in neuropsychology and clinical psychology at Lumière University Lyon 2 (Laboratoire des Mécanismes Cognitifs).

  5. 5.

    On the advice of the “Emeraude 58” Ethics Committee seized in March 2020 (Emeraude 58, 49 Ter rue des Hôtelleries, 58400 La Charité sur Loire, France — website: https://www.emeraude-58.com, last visited in may 2020).

  6. 6.

    Unfortunately the application of this protocol was suspended during the covid-19 health crisis, which is why we present here only preliminary results. In addition, one resident did not take part in the experience because of his state of health.

  7. 7.

    The restoration of the soundscapes was carried out one week before the start of the containment imposed by the covid-19 crisis.

  8. 8.

    During this experiment, we noted that the question of the realism of sounds arises as much for sampled sounds as for synthesized sounds. As mentioned above, this complex issue stems both from the temporal dynamics of the sounds, from the context of their diffusion and from the state of mind in which they are perceived.

  9. 9.

    The garegivers who responded to the questionnaire were a nurse, a nurse assistant or a medical-psychological assistant.

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Acknowledgement

We are particularly thankful to Dr Pierre Jeannin for his benevolence, his logistic and voluntary support, and of course to the charity Castel-Mailletaise that welcomed this project, and the care team that is closely involved in it.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Saint Mesmin, France

    Frédéric Voisin

  2. Laboratoire Psy-DREPI EA-7458, Bourgogne - Franche-Comté University, Besançon, France

    Arnaud Bidotti

  3. Laboratoire CAPS (Cognition, Action et Plasticité Motrice), UMR INSERM U1093, Dijon, France

    France Mourey

Authors
  1. Frédéric Voisin
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  2. Arnaud Bidotti
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  3. France Mourey
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire PRISM, CNRS-AMU, Marseille, France

    Richard Kronland-Martinet

  2. Laboratoire PRISM, CNRS-AMU, Marseille, France

    Sølvi Ystad

  3. Laboratoire PRISM, CNRS-AMU, Marseille, France

    Mitsuko Aramaki

Annexe: A Caregiver’s Questionnaire on Soundscape at Work

Annexe: A Caregiver’s Questionnaire on Soundscape at Work

Here is a series of questions about you, your activity at work and your perception of the sound device «Madeleines sonores». Please answer carefully and as spontaneously as possible: there are no right or wrong answers, just tick the box that corresponds to what you think.

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Voisin, F., Bidotti, A., Mourey, F. (2021). Designing Soundscapes for Alzheimer’s Disease Care, with Preliminary Clinical Observations. In: Kronland-Martinet, R., Ystad, S., Aramaki, M. (eds) Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music. CMMR 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12631. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70210-6_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70210-6_34

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-70210-6

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