A Study on Route Guidance for Independent Town-Walking for Individuals with Mild Alzheimer's Disease and MCI.

Abstract

For all individuals with dementia, going outside their houses unaccompanied presents many issues regarding their safety, independence, and quality of life (QOL) in every situation, society, and family. This study aims to elucidate the behavioral characteristics of individuals with mild Alzheimer's disease during walking around, and to propose the development of navigation methodologies that use devices to provide assistive information to these individuals. To identify behavioral characteristics of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, an examination was conducted among individuals with Alzheimer's disease, young, and old individuals to assess their ability to select routes from their initial to their final destinations, using an existing navigation device. The results suggested that the success rate of route selection is associated with an ability related to visual memory storage. Additionally, an effective requirement of route guidance, i.e., indication of directions from the present position to follow a specified route continuously, was expressed.