Case studies in SenseCam use for cognitive stimulation therapy in early-stage dementia.

Estimates suggest that Ireland will have 50,000 people with dementia by 2016 and over 100,000 by 2036. Combined with European total costs are estimated in 2005 at €130 billion. As dementia is incurable there is a real need to support the existing dementia health care practices and carers by innovative technology use. Using technology to improve mental health of the people with dementia is one way of such support. This research explores intervention which uses Microsoft SenseCam images within the principles of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) to engage people with early stage dementia in meaningful discussion. This SenseCam intervention, like the CST approach, aims at general enhancement of quality of life and global cognitive and social functioning

SenseCam intervention based on cognitive ctimulation therapy framework for early-stage dementia.

Estimates suggest that Ireland will have 50,000 people with dementia by 2016 and over 100,000 by 2036. Combined with European total costs estimated in 2005 at €130 billion. In the absence of a cure for dementia there is a real need to develop pervasive, user-centered technologies to enhance the well-being and quality of life of people with dementia. This study explores the use of Microsoft SenseCam images within the principles of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) to engage people with early stage dementia in meaningful discussion. The SenseCam intervention, like the CST approach, is aimed at general enhancement of quality of life and global cognitive and social functioning

Case studies in therapeutic SenseCam use aimed at identity maintenance in early stage dementia

In the absence of a medical cure for memory loss new technologies specialised in pervasive imaging are being incorporated into interventions for dementia. The practice of lifelogging is a digital capture of life experiences typically through mobile devices such as SenseCam. The lightweight wearable digital camera passively captures about 3,000 images a day. Lifelogging results in personal, recent prompts, potentially encouraging sharing of personal memories. This research investigated the incorporation of lifelogging technology into a therapeutic approach aimed to support people with dementia by using the Case Study method, an exploratory and descriptive approach. The case study is a method of empirical inquiry that enables investigation of phenomenon within its real life context. SenseCam therapy aimed to stimulate the cognition of a person with dementia, with support of their personal identity as its primary goal. SenseCam images were used as cues to meaningful discussions about the person’s recent memories. The images enabled a construction of a particular version of the participants’ identities mainly based in their recent past. On the contrary participants seemed to valorise their identity of their distant past. The SenseCam identity also contained uncensored details from participants’ lives as revealed by review of SenseCam images. The exposing nature of SenseCam images posed risks to the users’ privacy and showed the potential ethical risks of using lifelogging technology with people with dementia. There is limited literature on the practical recommendations on how to use lifelogging devices and how they affect people with dementia. The results from this research indicate that a number of factors should be considered when using lifelogging technology with people with dementia. Firstly the contextual factors of people with dementia including the level of cognitive impairment, existing coping mechanisms and the interaction patterns with the carer need to be considered. Secondly the technology should be used within a therapeutic framework and tailored to suit the individual needs of both people with dementia and their carers. Lastly intimate and unexpected details from the participant’s life should be discussed in an ethical and sensitive manner. Implications of not working within these boundaries show clear potential for undermining the human rights and potentially the wellbeing of people with dementia

Case study in SenseCam use as an intervention technology for early-stage dementia

Dementia is a growing concern with an estimated 41,740 in Ireland and 35.6 million people living with dementia worldwide. In the absence of a medical cure for dementia, pervasive technologies are emerging to support people with dementia. Among such applications is lifelogging, which involves continuously wearing technology to capture a large part of the wearer’s life emerging. The recorded data allows clinicians and others to detect behaviour changes or help in memory recall. This study explores the use of SenseCam lifelogging technology as a therapeutic intervention for people with early stage dementia. Based on the principles of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) it aims to engage them in meaningful discussions about their recent past as captured in the SenseCam images. These discussions offer potential to help maintain the person’s identity. The preliminary findings from the first case study highlight some functional issues of SenseCam use within CST principles

Ethical challenges associated with technology use with people with dementia

Background: The prevalence of dementia is expected to increase as our population ages. People with Dementia (PwD) and their carers have expressed the desire to remain living at home and integrated with their communities for as long as possible. Ambient Assistive Living (AAL) and Lifelog technologies can support this wish, but they bring with them serious ethical issues that need to be addressed. Methods: The literature associated with AAL and Lifelog technologies was reviewed. These findings were combined with the results of the three studies presented in this symposium in order to identify the key ethical issues associated with the use of these technologies and the current state of the scholarly debate surrounding these issues. Results: The potential benefits and the specific limitations of using AAL and Lifelog technologies with PwD will be explored, in particular in home-based situations. We will consider their potential mis-use as surveillance tools and the possible exploitation of the data captured during their use. Finally, the challenge of gaining informed consent, including third party consent will be discussed, both in terms of proposed solutions and in light of the current legal framework in Ireland. Conclusions: Using technology as a means of preserving autonomy, promoting independence, and facilitating at-home living for longer is likely to increase over the coming years. Providing clear examples of the ethical issues that can arise with the use of these technologies, and the recommendations for alleviating these ethical challenges will, help to protect a vulnerable population

Identifying motivations for life-long collections and their implications for lifelogging

Lifelogging is the practice of automatically capturing data from life experiences through wearable devices. Lifelog collections have been shown to support memory and may be a valuable source for people as they grow old and memory functions decline. We believe that people would be more likely to adopt lifelog practices that support their current motivations for collecting items. To identify these motivations we interviewed ten older and ten younger participants. We found that motivations for and against life-long collections evolve as people age and enter different life stages, and that family is at the core of life-long collections. These findings will be used to inform the design of an intergenerational lifelog browser

Life-long collections: motivations and the implications for lifelogging with mobile devices

In this paper the authors investigate the motivations for life-long collections and how these motivations can inform the design of future lifelog systems. Lifelogging is the practice of automatically capturing data from daily life experiences with mobile devices, such as smartphones and wearable cameras. Lifelog archives can benefit both older and younger people; therefore lifelog systems should be designed for people of all ages. The authors believe that people would be more likely to adopt lifelog practices that support their current motivations for collecting items. To identify these motivations, ten older and ten younger participants were interviewed. It was found that motivations for and against life-long collections evolve as people age and enter different stages, and that family is at the core of life-long collections. These findings will be used to guide the design of an intergenerational lifelog browser

National educational needs analysis report

Building on the work by De Siún and Manning (2010a), this report by Irving et al. (2014) presents the results of a Dementia Educational Needs Analysis carried out in ROI in 2013/2014. In contrast to De Siún and Manning (2010a), this report focuses on the information, training and education needs of a much wider range of stakeholders starting with the person with dementia, and including people in their care-giving network, healthcare system and the broader community in which they live. The report outlines the major gaps in education and provides recommendations for future educational and service reform. It identifies seven priority areas which are to provide the focus for the development of education and training programmes

Case studies in therapeutic SenseCam use aimed at identity maintenance in early stage dementia

In the absence of a medical cure for memory loss new technologies specialised in pervasive imaging are being incorporated into interventions for dementia. The practice of lifelogging is a digital capture of life experiences typically through mobile devices such as SenseCam. The lightweight wearable digital camera passively captures about 3,000 images a day. Lifelogging results in personal, recent prompts, potentially encouraging sharing of personal memories. This research investigated the incorporation of lifelogging technology into a therapeutic approach aimed to support people with dementia by using the Case Study method, an exploratory and descriptive approach. The case study is a method of empirical inquiry that enables investigation of phenomenon within its real life context. SenseCam therapy aimed to stimulate the cognition of a person with dementia, with support of their personal identity as its primary goal. SenseCam images were used as cues to meaningful discussions about the person’s recent memories. The images enabled a construction of a particular version of the participants’ identities mainly based in their recent past. On the contrary participants seemed to valorise their identity of their distant past. The SenseCam identity also contained uncensored details from participants’ lives as revealed by review of SenseCam images. The exposing nature of SenseCam images posed risks to the users’ privacy and showed the potential ethical risks of using lifelogging technology with people with dementia. There is limited literature on the practical recommendations on how to use lifelogging devices and how they affect people with dementia. The results from this research indicate that a number of factors should be considered when using lifelogging technology with people with dementia. Firstly the contextual factors of people with dementia including the level of cognitive impairment, existing coping mechanisms and the interaction patterns with the carer need to be considered. Secondly the technology should be used within a therapeutic framework and tailored to suit the individual needs of both people with dementia and their carers. Lastly intimate and unexpected details from the participant’s life should be discussed in an ethical and sensitive manner. Implications of not working within these boundaries show clear potential for undermining the human rights and potentially the wellbeing of people with dementia

Ethical challenges associated with technology use with people with dementia

Background: The prevalence of dementia is expected to increase as our population ages. People with Dementia (PwD) and their carers have expressed the desire to remain living at home and integrated with their communities for as long as possible. Ambient Assistive Living (AAL) and Lifelog technologies can support this wish, but they bring with them serious ethical issues that need to be addressed. Methods: The literature associated with AAL and Lifelog technologies was reviewed. These findings were combined with the results of the three studies presented in this symposium in order to identify the key ethical issues associated with the use of these technologies and the current state of the scholarly debate surrounding these issues. Results: The potential benefits and the specific limitations of using AAL and Lifelog technologies with PwD will be explored, in particular in home-based situations. We will consider their potential mis-use as surveillance tools and the possible exploitation of the data captured during their use. Finally, the challenge of gaining informed consent, including third party consent will be discussed, both in terms of proposed solutions and in light of the current legal framework in Ireland. Conclusions: Using technology as a means of preserving autonomy, promoting independence, and facilitating at-home living for longer is likely to increase over the coming years. Providing clear examples of the ethical issues that can arise with the use of these technologies, and the recommendations for alleviating these ethical challenges will, help to protect a vulnerable population