Long-term effectiveness of a Daily-Plan Indicator for Persons with Dementia evaluated by speech and behavior analysis

Abstract

Some assistive technologies for persons with dementia have been developed to facilitate awareness of information by providing the information visually. However, these technologies have been evaluated by subjective assessment and learning process, and their effectiveness in daily life has not become clear yet. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of such assistive technology including the process of familiarization and utilization for a person with dementia. A four month clinical evaluation of a daily-plan indicator was conducted using the field-based method. Results of a user's speech and behavior analysis showed that the ratio of information awareness was increased from 50 to 97 after six week of use and 100% after four months of use respectively. The ratio of independence in information awareness had also increased from 0 to 57%. The use of vivid colors was found to be helpful for increasing the use of the indicator.