Digital communication support and Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Communication is one of the areas where people with dementia and their caregivers experience most challenges. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of possibilities and pitfalls of using personalized communication applications installed on tablet computers to support communication for people with dementia and their conversational partners. The study is based on video recordings of a woman, 52 years old, with Alzheimer's disease interacting with her husband in their home. The couple was recorded interacting with and without a tablet computer including a personalized communication application. The results from the present study reveal both significant possibilities and potential difficulties in introducing a digital communication device to people with dementia and their conversational partners. For the woman in the present study, the amount of interactive actions and the number of communicative actions seem to increase with the use of the communication application. The results also indicate that problems associated with dementia are foregrounded in interaction where the tablet computer is used.

Z=50core stability inSn110from magnetic-moment and lifetime measurements

“…The shell-model calculation by Ekström [33] based on a stable 100 Sn core as described in Ref. [13] also underpredicts the present 110 Sn result.…”

Everyday conversation in dementia: a review of the literature to inform research and practice

“…Further research would, therefore, benefit from particular attention to the study of performed and embodied identity in conversation using video data (Hydén , Hydén and Örulv ) and how different life story formats potentially impact on interaction (Ekström et al . , Spilkin and Bethlehem ).…”

“…In a similar vein, Ekström et al . () video recorded a woman with Alzheimer's disease talking with her husband at home with and without a tablet computer containing a personalized communication book, made by a speech and language therapist. Whilst the activity offered possibilities to encourage interaction, the format was not without difficulties including the tendency for the use of questions where the answer was already known.…”

How Can We Develop AAC for Dementia?

“…iii Ekström et al [13] described a single-case study of a person with dementia using a personalized AAC application on a tablet computer during interaction with her husband. She required considerable support from her husband in using the tablet and while there was more interaction occurring when the tablet was in use, there was no evidence of the tablet supporting communicative initiatives for the person with dementia.…”