Combating dementia with film, communication and emotion

In 5 seconds A doctoral student in speech-language pathology at Université de Montréal is testing the use of audiovisual content to support communication in people with dementia.

Could movies help facilitate communication and promote social engagement in people with dementia? PhD student Barbara Delacourt is trying to answer the question. She is supervised by Ana Inés Ansaldo, a professor in UdeM’s School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and laboratory director at the Montreal University Institute of Geriatrics Research Centre.

As part of her research project, Delacourt, a recipient of an Alzheimer Society Doctoral Award, is investigating whether audiovisual content can improve communication in seniors living with dementia.

The project, dubbed Projet Lumière, grew out of a collaboration between Ansaldo and cinEXmedia, a laboratory headed by Santiago Hidalgo, a professor in UdeM’s Department of Art History and Film Studies.

“People living with dementia often struggle to communicate and understand what is being said to them,” Delacourt said. “Family and even caregivers are often at a loss. But when we experience and share positive emotions, a communication loop is created, even without words—through a glance, a smile, holding hands. It’s a way of being together, of sharing a moment.”

So how can positive emotions be aroused in this growing segment of the population? One way is to show entertaining audiovisual content: film clips, documentaries, musicals, videos with children or animals.

Breaking the isolation

Barbara Delacourt

Delacourt is currently collecting data at a long-term care facility. Residents watch videos with a caregiver or loved one and Delacourt correlates the video content with verbal and nonverbal communication, particularly facial expressions, and psychophysiological responses associated with empathy.

“The aim is to study the effects of co-viewing on communication between the pair and to determine what type of audiovisual content delivers the desired effects,” she explained.

Ultimately, this research will shed light on how communication works in people living with dementia and help improve quality of life for them and their caregivers.

“Essentially, it’s about helping people with dementia maintain social connections with the people around them, preserving their ability to communicate, which is so important to prevent isolation, and reducing the burden on caregivers,” Delacourt said.

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