A Communication Support System for Older People with Dementia

Abstract

ventive measures are found, designing computer systems to support people with dementia will remain a growing priority. EFFECTS OF DEMENTIA The effects of dementia can be quite devastating for both the person with dementia and family members, as well as pose significant challenges to professional caregivers. Since effective participation in many social activities and interactions requires short-term memory, dealing with the effects of dementia becomes increasingly difficult as the condition progresses. As a result, people with dementia can become socially isolated and deprived of the range and variety of social interactions that characterize unimpaired people's everyday lives. This can have a profound effect on the person's sense of wellbeing, and put severe strains on family and caregivers. Since dementia degrades the ability to communicate, finding ways to promote communication is vitally important. Communication is such a fundamental ability that people are treated as less than human when they can no longer communicate successfully. Sadly, this dehumanization is common in the treatment of people with dementia. 4 Caring for someone with dementia is often frustrating and upsetting. When communication fails, caregivers CIRCA lets those with short-term memory loss draw on reminiscences to converse with relatives and caregivers.The system, which software engineers, psychologists, and designers developed with caregiver input, features a touch screen that displays photos, music, video, text, and other materials to help those with dementia access long-term memory.

Identifying opportunities for supporting caregivers of persons with dementia through information and communication technology

“…For example, the person with dementia tended to participate more in the conversation, and take direction of reminiscence topics. The system also offered significantly more choice to the person with dementia regarding conversation topics 36,37 . Such systems could be further developed to facilitate interaction between the person with dementia and their family caregiver in the home setting.…”

How Can We Develop AAC for Dementia?

“…CIRCA is a multimedia computer system developed to make possible again freeflowing conversation between people with dementia and caregivers [1][2][3][4][5]. The system is based on presenting reminiscence materials from a wide range of archives.…”

“…Projects, however, can be built on an evidence base derived not from interviews or questionnaires, but from direct observation of users interacting with an evolving series of prototypes. Where necessary, this can involve video-recording, transcribing, and coding sessions to enable a very fine-grained analysis of the interaction [2], [4]. It is widely accepted that user involvement in the design process and understanding the user is highly desirable [24].…”

Engaging multimedia leisure for people with dementia

“…Instead they could join with them in exploring and enjoying the multimedia material, which then had the effect of regularly triggering long-term memories. The person with dementia could then relate their story or recollection (Figure 4) 18,19 .…”

“…The evaluation studies 19 allowed us to draw conclusions about the level and quality of participation of the people with dementia and of their partners in the interactions. We have identified clear differences both in the behaviour of the people with dementia and the caregivers in the two reminiscence situations.…”