Written by Heather McCurdy, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS
Heather provides in home speech therapy services for adults in the Northwest IN area. In addition, virtual services for the residents of Indiana are available.
What is "lifelogging"?
A process in which individuals are able to create and elaborate on an external record of daily activities that they can review (by themself or with others) at a later time.
In other words, it's a recording of one’s life either auditorally or verbally.
Appropriate diganoses may include dementia (Frontotemporal, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lewy Body) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
In addition, lifelogging may be appropriate for someone who can't remember the previous day's events or has difficulty remembering events from the past. Lifelogging specifically targets episodic memory (or memories of one’s personal past).
To start to implement lifelogging, the following can be used:
- Sensecam
- Autographer camera
- Narrative clip
- Smart phone*
*The research article attached at the bottom did not recommend using a smart phone, however, I suggested one of my patients use his smart phone before making a large purchase. In my own experience, the smart phone has been very effective for multiple patients.
Does lifelogging actually work? If so, why?
From my own personal experience with lifelogging, patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment diagnosis are able to remember details from the past week with a high level of accuracy when they are prompted by a photo. So yes, it is effective.
Lifelogging is effective because...
- The memories of the event are repeated and become more readily available. When information is “discussed” more often or thought about more frequently, the information becomes more accessible.
- It's user friendly
- When someone reviews a diary, thoughts can easily drift off to other memories meaning that it’s possible that there’s only a limited focus on the target. When reviewing lifelogging images, there are a large # of photos of a single event which makes it harder to drift off.
- The ego-centric-ness (i.e. looking at a photo they took) can improve the vividness of the memory. The networks in the brain are more active when viewing images that are from the first-person perspective vs. the 3rd person perspective. Specific brain regions that are active when reviewing lifelogging images also play an essential role in the storing of autobiographical memories.
- The ability to recall a certain memory can improve when this memory is strengthened with repetition.
Can a diary be kept instead of lifelogging?
Based on the research, no. Lifelogging is recommended in place of maintaining a diary.
To learn more about lifelogging, read below!
For help implementing lifelogging or learning about additional memory strategies, speech therapy services are recommended. If you or your loved one are unsure if speech therapy is appropriate, a 15 minute phone consultation is available!
Heather McCurdy is the owner and speech-language pathologist (SLP) at Mindful Speech Therapy. She is particularly passionate about those who sustain traumatic brain injuries and strives to provide functional, meaningful and relevant treatment.
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