A COMMUNITY ICT PLATFORM TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERLY PEOPLE: FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT

S. Willard, E. van Rossum, M. Spreeuwenberg, L.P. de Witte
2017 Innovation in aging  
The complexity of dementia, and the differing care services, makes it difficult to establish best practices for managing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Our team have been trialling robots in the community and a social robotic laboratory. This presentation will demonstrate what we have learnt to date about the impact of using the robots in dementia care. Findings related to improvements in engagement, socialisation and mood as well as the feasibility of using social
more » ... d telepresence robots from three studies will be outlined: 1) A cluster-randomised controlled trial (n=415, people with dementia living in longterm care), with three treatment groups -a robotic animal (PARO), a non-robotic animal (Plush-Toy), and usual care (control); 2) A case study of five dyads (people with dementia and family) using telepresence robots in a 6-week intervention; and 3) family, people with dementia and health professionals acceptance of telepresence robots in a laboratory trial. Care technology is used insufficiently to support persons with dementia, their family and professional caregivers. We integrated a range of eHealth services and applications into an online platform, with the aim to strengthen care and support networks of persons with dementia. The platform was developed in an iterative user centered way, based on an available platform. It consists of 'cubes' with information about dementia (care), video communication options, a calendar and care plan. A first version was tested during 10 weeks in the networks of four community-dwelling persons with dementia. Family caregivers reported that they were better informed and felt more in control. Care professionals reported improved communication and better understanding among themselves and with family caregivers. In the autumn of 2016 the platform will be tested in 40 patient networks over a 4 months period. We will report the results of this field test and discuss the next steps. Older people prefer to stay independent and active in their own environment. Information and communication technology can support them in accomplishing these goals. This is challenging though, as many are not familiar with technology. We introduced a community ICT platform in Heerlen, a city with a highly ageing population, in close collaboration with older persons and active citizens. By means of simple and clear apps, the platform offers a market place for mutual services, community information, access to professional services, and possibilities to set up new community activities. A process evaluation is conducted to study the use of and experiences with the platform. In addition, the platform's impact on independent functioning, social contacts and involvement in community activities is studied in 150 users over a 12 months period. We will report data over the first 4 months and discuss the role of such platforms in future care and support models. The study of engagement (i.e. social interaction/connection) in people with dementia can determine the effectiveness of using technology to promote meaningful activity and to improve quality of life. This paper presents the psychometric properties of a recently developed 10-item Engagement of a Person with Dementia Scale (EPWDS). Four raters each watched and completed the EPWDS for 132 videos of people with dementia using PARO, a social companion robot for ten minutes. Psychometric properties of the EPWDS were assessed for Principal Components analysis along with measures of construct validity (i.e. convergent validity), internal consistency, test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability. The EPWDS is reliable and shows validity in assessing engagement when using technology in five dimensions: affective, visual, verbal, behavioural, and social engagement. Importantly, it can be used to demonstrate the benefits of using technology to improve quality of life in people with dementia.
doi:10.1093/geroni/igx004.420 fatcat:oi7ocrbjrna6hbfprlbcnfm34u