The use of mobile phones to compensate for organisational and memory impairment in people with acquired brain injury : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
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2008
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Massey University
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Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the extent to which people with memory difficulties
use cognitive aids, and to compare this with that of the general population.
Relationships between current memory aid use, age, and such factors as insight
into functional difficulties, and pre-injury use of memory aids were examined. To
investigate the usefulness of mobile phones in compensation for memory
impairment following TBI; To investigate the impact of the type of memory
impairment (encoding vs. retrieval), level of insight, and familiarity with technology
on the use of mobile phones as cognitive aids. Design: Study One - Survey;
Study Two - Repeated Single-case ABAB-design Participants: Study One - A
group of 29 participants with memory difficulties due to traumatic brain injury (TBI),
and an age-matched control group of 33 participants. Study Two - Six participants
were selected from people with TBI in New Zealand. Inclusion criteria were a
history of TBI, being over 16-years-old, and both self-reported and formally
assessed memory difficulties. Measures: Memory Aids Questionnaire; Patient
Competency Rating Scale; Shapiro Control Inventory; Task completion forms.
Results: Study One - People with TBI and controls tended to use a similar number
and type of aids. Electronic memory aids (EMAs) were viewed as more effective in
assisting with remembering, but were used less frequently than non-EMAs. This
study found that age may impact on the type of aids used. Study Two - All six
participants showed statistically significant improvements in the number of tasks
remembered while using the phone vs. not using any aids at all. When comparing
the phone and the use of traditional aids, five participants showed statistically
significant improvements and one performed worse. These results were maintained
at one-month follow-up. While the use of mobile phones to assist with
remembering is efficacious in some cases, it is not suitable for use with all
individuals.
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Keywords
Memory disorders, Patients, Rehabilitation, Brain damage, Mnemonics, Cellular telephones