Remembering Yesterday

在我们成长的世界里，健忘被视为衰老的必然结果。研究表明，虽然这不是必然的结果，但这是许多老年人都经历过的事情。人们普遍担心记忆力减退，这并不奇怪，因为我们的记忆决定了我们是谁。能够回忆起谈话或共同经历是巩固我们友谊的原因。记住过去发生的事情可以指导我们对未来做出决定。有许多回忆活动、应用程序和干预措施可以帮助老年人回忆遥远的过去，但对最近事件的记忆（“短期记忆”）在很大程度上被忽视了。当人们努力回忆最近发生的事情时，它可能会严重破坏与亲密家庭的社会关系，可能会使人们不愿交谈或见面，并影响重要的决定。我的研究表明，积极的记忆巩固（比如写日记、记录照片）可以显著提高对最近的记忆，而这反过来又会显著影响生活质量。然而，这对许多人来说既耗时又不切实际，尤其是那些通常不太懂技术的老年人。这个项目建议开发一个用户友好的系统，支持新记忆的主动巩固。我的愿景是，这将成为一副眼镜——人们理所当然地使用它，没有恐惧、尴尬或大量的努力，因为它显著改善了他们的日常生活。

We grow up in a world where forgetfulness is seen as an inevitable consequence of ageing. Research shows that although this needn't be a foregone conclusion, it is something that is experienced by many older people. Memory loss is widely feared, which is hardly surprising given that our memories make us who we are. Being able to recall conversations or shared experiences is what cements our friendships. Remembering what has happened in the past guides us to make decisions about the future. There are numerous reminiscence activities, apps and interventions available to support older people in recollecting the distant past, but memory for recent events ("short-term memory") has largely been neglected. When people struggle to recall recent events, it can severely disrupt social connections even with close family and may discourage people from having conversations or meeting up, as well as impacting on important decisions.My research has shown that active consolidation (for example diary-writing, photo-logging) can significantly improve memory for recent past, and that this in turn significantly impacts on quality of life. However, this is time consuming and impractical for many people, especially older people who typically have less technical know-how. This project proposes the development of a user-friendly system that supports active consolidation of new memories. My vision is that this will become like a pair of spectacles - something that people use as a matter of course, without fear, embarrassment or extensive effort, and because it significantly improves their day-to-day life.