Preliminary study of human interactions during entertainment by a facilitator using a cognitive stimulation medium (Mémoire-RED) in a nursing-home setting

International audienceAccording to the literature and our practice, most of the cognitive stimulation based on technological tools are designed for individual, « face to face »use and are a transposition of regular neuropsychological tests and rehabilitation exercises (Tarraga et al. 2006). A different approach is proposed to fulfil the needs for entertainment; such as reminding memories with the help of souvenirs of the patients own life. (Damianakis et al. 2010) could show it was possible, first with the help of a research assistant, then with that of the family or even by personal use, to stimulate remembrance through old souvenirs presented on a digital medium.The difficulty is the high cost in term of manpower to get the relevant information from the family. Other teams have proposed solutions that would limit that preliminary work : using data from the social media (Cosley et al. 2009) and/or wearing a camera to save daily activities (Lee and Key, 2007) et (Sellen et al. 2007). In any case, those tools are based upon individual customization and so limiting the number of patients who could attend a same session. Could use general tools developed for entertainment in nursing-home as a cognitive stimulation alternative? In a preliminary study we have observed the adoption of the Mémoire-red™ tool by the facilitator and the interaction with and between the residents during a regular entertainment session with cognitively impaired residents in a nursing-home. This session was part of a structured animation program where the residents regularly take part

Finding “Interesting” Correlations in Multi-Faceted Personal Informatics Systems

Personal Informatics (PI) systems are capable of uncovering interesting insights about their users by identifying statistical correlations in multi-faceted data. However, they often produce an overwhelming quantity of information. We explore the feasibility of automatically filtering correlational information, based on its interest to users. We analyze users’ subjective ratings of correlations within their data to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to users’ interest. We then use this understanding to identify candidate measures for information filtering, which can be applied without input from the user. Finally, we test the predictive power of these measures. Our main findings reveal that users in our study valued the Surprisingness and Utility of correlational information above other factors

Finding “Interesting” Correlations in Multi-Faceted Personal Informatics Systems

Personal Informatics (PI) systems are capable of uncovering interesting insights about their users by identifying statistical correlations in multi-faceted data. However, they often produce an overwhelming quantity of information. We explore the feasibility of automatically filtering correlational information, based on its interest to users. We analyze users’ subjective ratings of correlations within their data to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to users’ interest. We then use this understanding to identify candidate measures for information filtering, which can be applied without input from the user. Finally, we test the predictive power of these measures. Our main findings reveal that users in our study valued the Surprisingness and Utility of correlational information above other factors

Aplicação para Terapia da Reminiscência

Tese de mestrado, Engenharia Informática (Interação e Conhecimento) Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2020A terapia da reminiscência é utilizada em pacientes com demência, e consiste em sessões onde são mostradas imagens, com o objetivo de incentivar o paciente a comunicar com os seus cuidadores através da recordação de memórias do passado. Os cuidadores destes pacientes têm habitualmente a responsabilidade de selecionar as imagens a usar em casa sessão; por este motivo, a existência de uma aplicação que facilite a seleção e adaptação destas imagens a cada paciente, irá contribuir para a redução da carga de trabalho associada à terapia. Este trabalho aborda o uso de emoções na interação pessoa-máquina, e pretende de- senvolver uma plataforma, da qual fazem parte dois algoritmos, uma knowledge base e uma coleção inicial de imagens. A knowledge base e onde se encontram todos os dados dos pacientes, facultados por estes ou pelos seus cuidadores, tornando assim possível a criação de sessões diferentes e personalizadas para cada pessoa com demência. O primeiro algoritmo e destinado a selecionar automaticamente as imagens para a sessão, sendo estas escolhidas com base no impacto emocional. Já o segundo visa adaptar a sessão a decorrer caso seja demonstrado alguma reacção emocional negativa por parte do paciente (confusão, inquietação, irritabilidade, agressividade, etc). Numa primeira fase, a cada imagem da coleção e associada a uma ou mais emoções bem como tags, que serão posteriormente utilizadas para obter novas imagens com os mesmos elementos, caso tenham desencadeado emoções positivas, ou para remover da sessão (ou sessões futuras) imagens similares quando a reação e negativa O algoritmo de recuperação de sessão e invocado quando é despoletada uma má reação no paciente e é necessário garantir que tal não se repete na mesma sessão, ou em sessões futuras. No final, temos um sistema que, a partir de uma coleção inicial de imagens, e capaz de a adaptar e personalizar ao longo do tempo, de modo a não causar reações emocionais negativas no utilizador

Dealing with Information Overload in Multifaceted Personal Informatics Systems

Personal informatics systems are tools that capture, aggregate, and analyze data from distinct facets of their users’ lives. This article adopts a mixed-methods approach to understand the problem of information overload in personal informatics systems. We report findings from a 3-month study in which 20 participants collected multifaceted personal tracking data and used a system called Exist to reveal statistical correlations within their data. We explore the challenges that participants faced in reviewing the information presented by Exist, and we identify characteristics that exemplify “interesting” correlations. Based on these findings, we develop automated filtering mechanisms that aim to prevent information overload and support users in extracting interesting insights. Our approach deals with information overload by reducing the number of correlations shown to users by about 55% on average and increases the percentage of displayed correlations rated as interesting to about 81%, representing a 34 percentage point improvement over filters that only consider statistical significance at p &lt;.05. We demonstrate how this curation can be achieved using objective data harvested by the system, including the use of Google Trends data as a proxy for subjective user interest.</p

Older people’s appropriation of computers and the Internet

This thesis looks at how older people integrate computers and the Internet into their everyday lives and make these technologies their own as part of their broader experience of ageing. The thesis starts by considering the limits of current ‘deficit-driven’ models of accessible design used in relation to older people and highlights a need to develop new approaches which can accommodate the adaptive and ‘positive’ capacities that emerge with advanced age. The approach subsequently developed provides a consideration of older people’s situated and subjective experiences in relation to computer and Internet engagement as part of their adaptations to ageing. Qualitative and ethnographic data in the form of participant observations, contextual interviews and video-based observations are all used to examine the ways in which older users identify computers and the Internet as relevant and construct meaningful uses for them over time. Four case studies are used to explore the contextual and subjective determinants of these emerging psycho-socio-technical relationships over time and in different contexts. Through grounded analysis patterns are established in the data which outline persistent qualities of these emerging relationships in relation to ageing. A psycho-socio-technical process known as ‘appropriation’ is used to frame these adaptive relationships as they develop over time. In contrast to existing models of accessibility this analysis shows computer and Internet appropriation to be driven primarily by positive adaptations to ageing rather than its deficits. Six ‘core themes of relevance’ are identified across the studies (social contact; acquiring knowledge; supporting independence; intergenerational connection; reminiscence and life review and creativity) which represent age-relevant motivations that can be used as the basis for accessible designs promoting appropriation. In addition appropriation is outlined as a cumulative developmental process with distinct phases over time. This provides a structure for supporting older people’s appropriation of computers and the Internet whilst maintaining an emphasis on well-being. Finally this thesis contributes to understandings of contemporary ageing, offering insights into the potential for computers and the Internet to change the ageing experience in developed societies

You got yourself a whole new life, and all I've got is half this old one: Breaking up and moving on in the social media age

Going through a break-up can be difficult. Break-ups are emotionally fraught; two people have to untangle their lives from each other. Research has paid attention to the implications of a break-up on the involved parties&rsquo; mental and emotional well-being and identified best practices for healing and growing from a break-up. However, these findings and practices are not well suited to social media because of how data represent our lives. As a result, what social media users are left with in the wake of a break-up are features designed to encourage connection and reminiscence when those things may not be appropriate or desired. In other words, people know how to break-up offline; however, they &ndash; and by extension, social media algorithms that recommend or remind &ndash; cannot accurately represent the experience of breaking up. In turn, the lack of understanding of how to &ldquo;break-up&rdquo; online leaves people having bad experiences with no remedy for preventing them after experiencing a break-up.In this dissertation, I explore how people managed their data in the wake of a break-up to create new, post-break-up identities. My dissertation work spans three studies. In the first study, I explore people&rsquo;s upsetting encounters with algorithmically curated content about their break-up. These encounters occur partly because of data remnants that remain after a break-up &ndash; the pictures, posts, and connections that persist past the end of the relationship.In the second study, I investigate how people make decisions about their data and enact them through data management features. As part of these data management practices, people create post-break-up identities as they decide what to do (or not to do) with the data remnants from their relationship. These identities are akin to exhibitions, with people exhibiting different curatorial philosophies toward their data remnants.In the third study of my dissertation, I interview couples who have not broken up yet to explore what data management practices they might use depending on how their relationships end. From these interviews, I identify design implications that could assist people in better managing their identities after a break-up and limit the impact of insensitive algorithmic curation.My dissertation makes theoretical, empirical, and design contributions. Theoretically, my dissertation extends Hogan&rsquo;s (2010) identity exhibition to account for the human as a curator of online identity. Empirically, my dissertation contributes to our understanding of break-ups and their representations in sociotechnical systems, which sit in conversation with HCI work around life transitions. Finally, my dissertation identifies design implications to better support individuals going through break-ups, implications that could support other life transitions as well.</p

Quality end of life care for people with dementia: The views and experiences of family carers

Background Many have reported the difficulty of defining ‘quality’ with several concepts emerging to characterise quality end of life care. People with dementia have been described as the ‘disadvantaged dying’ with poor end of life care. Towards the end of life people with dementia cannot report on the care they receive. It is therefore important to talk to carers; however, few have explored the views about end of life care from the carers’ perspective. Aim To explore the features of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ quality end of life care for people with dementia from the perspective of family carers. Method 1) A systematic review of qualitative studies which explored family carers’ views of quality end of life care for people with dementia. 2) A qualitative study with 46 in-depth interviews with carers analysed using thematic analysis methods. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 1) family carers of someone who had recently received a diagnosis of dementia, 2) family carers currently caring for someone with dementia, and 3) bereaved family carers. Results Many elements to ‘good’ care were identified including: tailoring care, attention to the individual, respect and dignity. Participants perceived some basic principles such as compassion were lacking, particularly from nurses. The finer details of care such as clothing and appearance were important manifestations of social identity and personhood. Care for the carer was also important, with carers often being left to act as a care manager and navigate the health and social care systems. Conclusion At end of life not everyone with dementia will require input from specialist palliative care services; there are many basic principles to good quality end of life care. This study suggests that end of life care for someone with dementia may not be that different to dementia care in general

Digital life stories: Semi-automatic (auto)biographies within lifelog collections

Our life stories enable us to reflect upon and share our personal histories. Through emerging digital technologies the possibility of collecting life experiences digitally is increasingly feasible; consequently so is the potential to create a digital counterpart to our personal narratives. In this work, lifelogging tools are used to collect digital artifacts continuously and passively throughout our day. These include images, documents, emails and webpages accessed; texts messages and mobile activity. This range of data when brought together is known as a lifelog. Given the complexity, volume and multimodal nature of such collections, it is clear that there are significant challenges to be addressed in order to achieve coherent and meaningful digital narratives of our events from our life histories. This work investigates the construction of personal digital narratives from lifelog collections. It examines the underlying questions, issues and challenges relating to construction of personal digital narratives from lifelogs. Fundamentally, it addresses how to organize and transform data sampled from an individual’s day-to-day activities into a coherent narrative account. This enquiry is enabled by three 20-month long-term lifelogs collected by participants and produces a narrative system which enables the semi-automatic construction of digital stories from lifelog content. Inspired by probative studies conducted into current practices of curation, from which a set of fundamental requirements are established, this solution employs a 2-dimensional spatial framework for storytelling. It delivers integrated support for the structuring of lifelog content and its distillation into storyform through information retrieval approaches. We describe and contribute flexible algorithmic approaches to achieve both. Finally, this research inquiry yields qualitative and quantitative insights into such digital narratives and their generation, composition and construction. The opportunities for such personal narrative accounts to enable recollection, reminiscence and reflection with the collection owners are established and its benefit in sharing past personal experience experiences is outlined. Finally, in a novel investigation with motivated third parties we demonstrate the opportunities such narrative accounts may have beyond the scope of the collection owner in: personal, societal and cultural explorations, artistic endeavours and as a generational heirloom