VitalLight:evaluation of a home system for regulating the sleep-wake cycle of elderly with dementia

\u3cp\u3ePurpose: Due to the aging population, dementia is an increasingly growing societal issue. Consequently, informal caregivers are forced to provide care in the home over a longer period of time. Especially with dementia, disturbed sleep patterns are often a tipping point for moving a person into an elder care facility. To address this challenge, a high-intensity, bluish light that suppresses melatonin is introduced into the home environment. This light potentially regulates the day-night rhythm\u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3e. This type of intervention has been used in elder care facilities; but in this study we introduce a light fixture that is suitable for the home environment, the VitalLight (Figure 1). There is evidence that such light interventions can slow the cognitive deterioration of dementia\u3csup\u3e2\u3c/sup\u3e, making it especially interesting to pursue in this context. Dynamics are added to the lamp so that it provides activating light throughout the day (when needed) and regular lighting in the evening. Method: To evaluate the VitalLight, it was placed for two weeks in the real-life home environments of eleven elderly with early to mid-stage dementia. The subjective sleep quality was measured with a questionnaire, which was an adaptation based on the Karolinska sleep diary\u3csup\u3e3\u3c/sup\u3e and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index\u3csup\u3e4\u3c/sup\u3e. The questionnaire was administered at three points in time: as a baseline at the start and after the first and second week. Results & Discussion: The results show the subjective assessment of sleep quality over a period of two weeks (Figure 2). Based on these results, there was no significant improvement in the sleep-wake cycle. Nevertheless, based on the averages, a trend line is apparent with an upward trend of the mean sleep quality over two weeks. In conclusion, more research in a longitudinal setup is necessary to gather more data. A possible limitation is that the effect of melatonin suppression needs more time, and another limitation is the lack of a control group. Moreover, a combination of qualitative with quantitative measurements may provide more conclusive results. Furthermore, some people may be unresponsive to melatonin suppression, causing a bias in the mean results.\u3c/p\u3

Active involvement of people with dementia: a systematic review of studies developing supportive technologies

Although there are promising benefits of supportive technology in dementia care, use of these technologies is still limited. It is challenging for researchers and developers in this field to actively involve people with dementia in development. This review updates and builds on existing knowledge by including a contemporary and relevant perspective. This perspective was gained by including search words and search databases from the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Design, as these fields were expected to supply novel insights in the complex task of actively involving people with dementia in developing supportive technologies. A total of 49 out of 3456 studies were included which describe the development of a great variety of technologies. Often people with dementia were involved in the generative or evaluative phase of the development. Interviews and observations were most commonly used methods. In seven articles the people with dementia were co-designers. This literature review reflects that people with dementia can influence the development of technology in regards to content, design, and even the initial idea, although the impact on how they experience their own involvement remains largely unknown. There is a lack of specific knowledge on appropriate methods and materials for active involvement of people with dementia in supportive technology development, even when including articles from the field of HCI and Design. Future research is needed to further appreciate and improve the desired role of people with dementia in meaningful technology development

Active involvement of people with dementia:a systematic review of studies developing supportive technologies

\u3cp\u3eAlthough there are promising benefits of supportive technology in dementia care, use of these technologies is still limited. It is challenging for researchers and developers in this field to actively involve people with dementia in development. This review updates and builds on existing knowledge by including a contemporary and relevant perspective. This perspective was gained by including search words and search databases from the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Design, as these fields were expected to supply novel insights in the complex task of actively involving people with dementia in developing supportive technologies. A total of 49 out of 3456 studies were included which describe the development of a great variety of technologies. Often people with dementia were involved in the generative or evaluative phase of the development. Interviews and observations were most commonly used methods. In seven articles the people with dementia were co-designers. This literature review reflects that people with dementia can influence the development of technology in regards to content, design, and even the initial idea, although the impact on how they experience their own involvement remains largely unknown. There is a lack of specific knowledge on appropriate methods and materials for active involvement of people with dementia in supportive technology development, even when including articles from the field of HCI and Design. Future research is needed to further appreciate and improve the desired role of people with dementia in meaningful technology development.\u3c/p\u3