Memio: Externalizing Memory for Early-Onset Alzheimer's and Dementia Patients

Marientina Gotsis, MFA

Marientina Gotsis, MFA, is a director of the Creative Media & Behavioral Health Center and executive producer of The Brain Architecture Game. She is an associate professor of research in the Interactive Media and Games Division of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Marientina emphasized that there is a difference between a short film with a story and a short film that shows off the product. She encouraged the short film to demonstrate what the product is doing now to see what it could do in the future, much farther down the line, without being to optimistic or pessimistic. If film had been longer, Marientina suggesting diving into divide in health equity. Memio most likely would not be cheap, and technology companies can’t compensate for this disparity unless they’re aware of it. 

Though Marientina works more in the area of Parkinson’s disease, she pointed out that this sort of augmented reality could apply to many more people. Though the diagnosis might vary, the symptoms Memioaddresses can be a very common experience.

From a stroke or autism to schizophrenia, the origin of the disease can differ, but the treatment of the symptoms remains basically the same. This invention might be useful for all of them.

In any of these instances, the results can be very distressing to families. It’s horrible to see a parent or grandparent who forgets you. They seem to be “gone,” but they’re still alive. You have to treat them like a stranger, but they’re still a human being. To treat them in the best way you can, you just have to accept what they’re saying. Challenging their reality doesn’t help; when everyone around you is denying the reality you’re living in, that creates a great deal of stress.

For more experiences directly related to Alzheimer’s and dementia, she recommended talking to people like Liz Hogenson, Gabby Gomes, Sze Yu “Awu” Chen, and Sergei Gepstein. In addition, she recommended researching work in the NIH Reporter for examples of research funded by the National Institute of Health.
 

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