L'informatisation : une nouvelle perspective de développement pour la stimulation cognitive ou l'entraînement cognitif

Cognitive stimulation is a therapeutic non-pharmacological intervention, which may be provided to both healthy and cognitively impaired people. It encompasses a set of psychoeducational methods including practical applications, gathered in sessions and corresponding to ecological situations in daily life. Cognitive stimulation represents training in cognitive, psychological and social functions. The recent progress in assistant technology has lead to the development of computerized cognitive stimulation programmes that represent a promising means for delivery and dissemination of this non-pharmacological intervention. In the present paper, we describe the principles of cognitive stimulation, the methods of delivery and the advantages of computerized cognitive stimulation, and the necessary conditions for its implementation. We insist on the need to tailor human-machine interfaces to the needs and disabilities of elderly people, in particular those who suffer from cognitive disorders.