学際的研究による「懐かしい匂い」とアートを用いた回想法プログラムの構築
Construction of a Reminiscence Program using Nostalgic Smell and Art
Grant number: 20H01223 (Kakenhi Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Japan.)
The developmental task of the elderly of "life integration," (according to Erikson, E.H), is said to be strengthened by "narrative." In addition to using scents, as in aromatherapy, "olfactory art", which stimulates more complex sensations, seeks in part to evoke nostalgic emotions and create a means to awaken autobiographical memories with the intention of generating positive emotions. This research continues the exploration of how it may be possible to develop a narrative approach with olfactory art.
It is predicted that the number of dementia patients will increase in the future, and improving the quality of life and care of people with dementia is an urgent issue globally. Our research aims to create familiar environments where people with dementia can spend their time calmly participating in a forms of sensory stimulation combining olfaction and art induced activity. This is based on the initial research theme, "Creating a safe place for people with dementia through" nostalgic smell "and creative activities and verifying its effect", funded in the field of "Neo Gerontology" (2014 – 2016, and also 2016-2019) Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan.
As olfactory information is transmitted directly to the limbic system, including the amygdala in the brain, it is considered that this can preferentially induce emotional responses to smell. The Proust phenomenonsuggests recollection of past events associated with particular smells that trigger autobiographical memories which are pleasant, at times highly emotional, and can induce a sense of re-experiencing past events that can be quite vivid.
During our recent research activities elderly people who came into contact with art using scent readily spoke about their childhood memories. This inspires confidence in the possibilities for olfactory art evoking nostalgic memories in the elderly, and that it could be an effective trigger for evoking narrative, and narrating life history. Given this, we are interested to see how different forms of olfactory art can form part of a program that induces positive reminiscences.
As a psychotherapy for people with dementia, reminiscence therapy can be implemented effectively by various methods. This can include a narrative approach to questioning. Reminiscence therapy for elderly people with cognitive decline, undertaken by those trained to do so, requires understanding not only of the content and form of the questions posed, but also the impact of the narrative responses they may induce, potentially leading to significant change in emotional response. This needs to be taken carefully into consideration when developing methods for investigating relationships between narrative content and art works that incorporate olfactory stimulation.
In addition to the conventional questioning methods that draws out narrative, we have developed different forms of artwork and artefacts that use smell as a medium, but also have a complex relationship with tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli, with the intention to induce a narrative of and/or reminiscence by those who engage with them. By itself smell as a sense, and the odours that form it, have characteristics that are difficult to identify in terms of specific situations unless a context is provided, which may be why it is effective for many people as a trigger for memory recall (the ‘abstract’ presence of scent – individual and/or combined odours - potentially triggers in each person their own memory associations).
Nursing and long-term care workers who are present for reminiscence therapy can also deepen their understanding and respect for the elderly by listening to their life stories. In particular, the narratives drawn out by the art works incorporating scents may induce memories that might otherwise be forgotten, and thereby enhance caregivers understanding of the elderly's multi-faceted characters.
To this end, the form in which the artworks are presented can be used to facilitate their effectiveness in care home and clinical environments for the elderly and serve as tools for improving the quality of life of the facilities users. We are also seeking to improve cognitive function in a rapidly aging society, and to create a narrative approach for the elderly using olfactory art.
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Grant number:
20H01223 (Kakenhi Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Japan.)
Research project core members:
Yasuaki MATSUMOTO (Leader)
Yoko IWASAKI
Yuriko SUGIHARA
Akio MAITA
Akira NAKAGAWA
Nathan COHEN
Reiko KUBOTA
Takefumi KOBAYASHI
Kohsuke YAMAMOTO