How can we use technology to better communicate with those suffering dementia? No one understands the disease more than those caring for someone with dementia. These caregivers have tried lots of things on their own to improve communication. Let’s pull from that knowledge. Occupational therapist and UQ researcher Dr Jacki Liddle said the volunteers would have an understanding of the problems people living with dementia faced, and would know what could help improve communication in their daily lives. “Some people have figured out their own solutions, but they may have tried lots of things that didn’t work before getting to that point,” Dr Liddle said. “We’d like to tap into that knowledge and use it to develop technologies together. “It could be a robot, an app, something you wear or something we haven’t even dreamed of yet.” Volunteers are invited to participate face-to-face at the UQ St Lucia campus or by phone or online. Reference group members will be asked to share their experiences of living with dementia and provide feedback on the research, and could get the chance to test out any new technology.
Key Points:
- 1For people living with dementia, communication difficulties can lead to isolation. Now researchers are setting out to find ways to bridge the communication gap using new technologies.
- 2It is extremely important to embed the perspectives of people who live with dementia in this project from the beginning, including families, friends, and caretakers.
- 3Some people have figured out their own solutions. Researchers would like to tap into that knowledge and use it to develop technologies together.
Occupational therapist and UQ researcher Dr Jacki Liddle said the volunteers would have an understanding of the problems people living with dementia faced, and would know what could help improve communication in their daily lives.
Read the full article at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-03-technology-people-dementia.html
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