Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of photograph therapy in regulating autonomic fluctuations and autonomic balance in elderly adults with dementia. Eight weekly sessions of a 1-h program consisting of photo-taking, photo selection, album creation, and presentations were conducted with 10 elderly adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Autonomic nerve balance (ANB) and largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE) data obtained from fingertip pulse wave measurements taken before, during, and after program sessions were analyzed (66 data points each). The program was also conducted with 5 healthy elderly adults to verify the effects of photograph therapy on measures of autonomic function (20 data points each). ANB results indicated tension in 40.3% of the elderly participants with dementia before sessions, but this percentage decreased to 27.3% during sessions, and the percentage with good balance increased from 20.9% to 36.4%. The percentage of participants with little fluctuation in LLE decreased from 53.3% before sessions to 42.4% during sessions, and the percentage with good balance increased from 37.9% to 53.0%. This effect was more pronounced in participants with dementia than in healthy participants. These results suggest that photograph therapy could regulate autonomic fluctuations and ANB.
