Supporting Conversation for People with Dementia by Introducing a Computer-Based Third Element to the Interaction

Abstract

Abstract. The principle of introducing a third element to a stressful communicational encounter, to which both participants can direct their attention, and which can provide prompts for communication, has a wide potential applicability. We have developed a system to support the communication of older people with dementia, which uses this principle. The approach has uses in many settings in which there is a cognitive or emotional blockage to communicational flow, several of which are described.Keywords: assistive technology, cognitive prostheses, dementia, autism, cognitive impairment. Computer-Based support for dementiaDementia is the loss of cognitive abilities, particularly the use of working (short-term) memory, usually as a result of Alzheimer's disease or stroke. Dementia occurs primarily in older people, and while it does not affect all of them, its rate of occurrence rises steeply from about 1 in 10 over 60 to 1 in 2 of those over 90 [1,2]. As our population balance shifts towards the older end of the spectrum, the incidence of dementia will increase dramatically. Because of the high level of human effort currently required in caring for people with dementia, designing assistive technology will be a growing priority until a way of reversing this debilitating condition can be found. Among the skills which dementia degrades is the ability to communicate. Finding ways to promote communication in people with dementia is vitally important. Communication is such a fundamental part of being human that when people are no longer able to interact successfully they are treated as somehow less than human. This dehumanization is, sadly, commonly seen in the treatment of people with dementia.We have developed a computer-based communication support system which can assist older people with dementia to interact more successfully with relatives and

Developing CIRCA-BC and Exploring the Role of the Computer as a Third Participant in Conversation

“…These findings have led to the speculation that the content and format of the program make the computer an integral element that mediates the interaction between the 2 participants. 12 However, this view of the computer as a third party in a social interaction has not yet been systematically explored, leaving several intriguing questions as yet unanswered.…”