Enhancing prompt perception in dementia: a comparative study of mixed reality cue modalities.

Introduction: Dementia impacts millions worldwide and is challenging individuals' ability to engage in daily activities. Active living is crucial in mitigating dementia's neurodegenerative effects, yet people with dementia often struggle to initiate and complete tasks independently. Technologies offer promising solutions to engage people with dementia in activities of active living and improving their quality of life through prompting and cueing.

Reimagining neuroscientific and andragogical principles for dementia care education.

This article aims to explore the integration of Louis Cozolino's (2013) andragogical strategies with the tenets of person-centered dementia care practices to enhance dementia care education. The article examines the multiple dimensions of learning in adulthood, highlighting the role of neural plasticity and lifelong brain adaptation in shaping learning and experiential strategies. This in-depth evaluation underscores the significance of tailoring andragogical approaches to the needs of adult learners, who, in this context, are care providers for persons with dementia.

Standardizing norms for 180 coloured Snodgrass and Vanderwart pictures in Kannada language.

This study presents normative data in Kannada for 180 coloured Snodgrass & Vanderwart pictures. Data are presented for naming latency, image agreement, picture-name agreement, familiarity, visual complexity, and age of acquisition (AoA). Sixty-eight native Kannada speaking adults completed all tasks.

Development and dissemination of an ethical guidance and person-centred isolation care planning tool to support the care of people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long-term care (LTC) residents have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, both from the virus itself and the restrictions in effect for infection prevention and control. Many barriers exist in LTC to prevent the effective isolation of suspect or confirmed COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, these measures have a severe impact on the well-being of LTC residents.

Technology for Healthy Aging and Wellbeing: Co-producing Solutions.

Methods to facilitate co-production in mental health are important for engaging end users. As part of the Technology for Healthy Aging and Wellbeing (THAW) initiative we organized two interactive co-production workshops, to bring together older adults, health and social care professionals, non-governmental organizations, and researchers. In the first workshop, we used two activities: Technology Interaction and Scavenger Hunt, to explore the potential for different stakeholders to discuss late life mental health and existing technology.

Assessing the feasibility of heart rate variability as an objective indicator of anxiety in older adults with dementia living in care homes.

Objective: Anxiety is reportedly prevalent in older adults with dementia living in care homes and, within this population, is most often assessed through caregiver reports. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological indicator of autonomic function, whereby reduced vagally-mediated HRV is associated with a variety of anxiety symptoms and disorders. This study evaluates the feasibility of collecting HRV data within this population, presents HRV data for older adults with dementia living in a care home, and examines HRV in the context of self-reported anxiety.

Kinect Project: People with dementia or mild cognitive impairment learning to play group motion-based games.

Introduction: Motion-based technologies (MBTs) could provide nonpharmacologic interventions for people with cognitive impairment (PCI; e.g., dementia or mild cognitive impairment).

Technology and Dementia: The Future is Now.

Background: Technology has multiple potential applications to dementia from diagnosis and assessment to care delivery and supporting ageing in place.

Objectives: To summarise key areas of technology development in dementia and identify future directions and implications.

Method: Members of the US Alzheimer's Association Technology Professional Interest Area involved in delivering the annual pre-conference summarised existing knowledge on current and future technology developments in dementia.

Implementing Accessibility Settings in Touchscreen Apps for People Living with Dementia.

Background: Accessibility options within apps can enable customisation and improve usability. The consideration of accessibility for people living with dementia has not been explored but is necessary to prevent a "digital divide" in our society. This study set out to examine whether the introduction of accessibility settings for people with dementia in two mainstream gaming apps (Solitaire and Bubble Explode) could improve the user experience.

Older Adults' Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study.

Background: A growing number of apps to support good mental health and well-being are available on digital platforms. However, very few studies have examined older adults' attitudes toward the use of these apps, despite increasing uptake of digital technologies by this demographic.

Objective: This study sought to explore older adults' perspectives on technology to support good mental health.

Perspectives on ethnic and racial disparities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: Update and areas of immediate need.

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are a global crisis facing the aging population and society as a whole. With the numbers of people with ADRDs predicted to rise dramatically across the world, the scientific community can no longer neglect the need for research focusing on ADRDs among underrepresented ethnoracial diverse groups. The Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART; alz.

Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid groups-Delivering cognitive stimulation with technology.

Introduction: Group-based cognitive stimulation is the only nonpharmacologic intervention recommended by the UK National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence for people with dementia. The potential of technology to extend the availability of group-based cognitive stimulation has not been tested.

Methods: One hundred sixty-one people with dementia participated in an eight-session group activity using Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid (CIRCA).

System Development Guidelines From a Review of Motion-Based Technology for People With Dementia or MCI.

As the population ages and the number of people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) continues to increase, it is critical to identify creative and innovative ways to support and improve their quality of life. Motion-based technology has shown significant potential for people living with dementia or MCI by providing opportunities for cognitive stimulation, physical activity and participation in meaningful leisure activities, while simultaneously functioning as a useful tool for research and development of interventions. However, many of the current systems created using motion-based technology have not been designed specifically for people with dementia or MCI.

Technology for Early Detection of Depression and Anxiety in Older People.

Under-diagnosis of depression and anxiety is common in older adults. This project took a mixed methods approach to explore the application of machine learning and technology for early detection of these conditions. Mood measures collected with digital technologies were used to predict depression and anxiety status according to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Independent Living Functions for the Elderly (IN-LIFE): Supporting Communication in Dementia.

Independent Living Functions for the Elderly (IN-LIFE) is a 3 year multidisciplinary, multisite European project that aims to prolong and support independent living for people with cognitive impairments, through (ICT) services. Sheffield is one of six research sites and is focused on enhancing communication and conversations using touch screen computers.

Studies Involving People With Dementia and Touchscreen Technology: A Literature Review.

Background: Devices using touchscreen interfaces such as tablets and smartphones have been highlighted as potentially suitable for people with dementia due to their intuitive and simple control method. This population experience a lack of meaningful, engaging activities, yet the potential use of the touchscreen format to address this issue has not been fully realized.

Objective: To identify and synthesize the existing body of literature involving the use of touchscreen technology and people with dementia in order to guide future research in this area.

Observing prioritization effects on cognition and gait: The effect of increased cognitive load on cognitively healthy older adults' dual-task performance.

Previous studies exploring the effects of attention-prioritization on cognitively healthy older adults' gait and cognitive dual task (DT) performance have shown DT cost in gait outcomes but inconsistent effects on cognitive performance, which may reflect task difficulty (the cognitive load). This study aimed to identify whether changing the cognitive load during a walking and counting DT improved the challenge/sensitivity of the cognitive task to observe prioritization effects on concurrent gait and cognitive performance outcomes. Seventy-two cognitively healthy older adults (Mean=73years) walked 15m, counted backwards in 3s and 7s as single tasks (ST), and concurrently walked and counted backwards as DTs.

The Use of Motion-Based Technology for People Living With Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Literature Review.

Background: The number of people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is increasing substantially. Although there are many research efforts directed toward the prevention and treatment of dementia and MCI, it is also important to learn more about supporting people to live well with dementia or MCI through cognitive, physical, and leisure means. While past research suggests that technology can be used to support positive aging for people with dementia or MCI, the use of motion-based technology has not been thoroughly explored with this population.

Computer-based tools for assessing micro-longitudinal patterns of cognitive function in older adults.

Patterns of cognitive change over micro-longitudinal timescales (i.e., ranging from hours to days) are associated with a wide range of age-related health and functional outcomes.

Computerized Self-Administered Measures of Mood and Appetite for Older Adults: The Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing Toolkit.

The "Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing" (NANA) toolkit is a computerized system for collecting longitudinal information about older adults' health and behavior. Here, we describe the validation of six items for measuring older adults' self-reported mood and appetite as part of the NANA system. In Study 1, 48 community-living older adults (aged 65-89 years) completed NANA measures of their current mood and appetite alongside standard paper measures, on three occasions, in a laboratory setting.

Does familiarity affect the enjoyment of touchscreen games for people with dementia?

Introduction: Previous research has indicated that people living with dementia are able to use touchscreen technology, which presents an opportunity to deliver meaningful and engaging activities for people to pass the time independently. The challenge is to identify suitable applications from the thousands that are currently available, and familiarity, where an app is a digital version of an existing real world game, may be one solution.

Objectives: To evaluate the concept of familiarity in gameplay with people living with dementia by comparing a known game with a novel game and measuring whether users are able to play these games independently and whether they enjoy doing so.

The validation of a computer-based food record for older adults: the Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing (NANA) method.

Dietary assessment in older adults can be challenging. The Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing (NANA) method is a touch-screen computer-based food record that enables older adults to record their dietary intakes. The objective of the present study was to assess the relative validity of the NANA method for dietary assessment in older adults.

Developing CIRCA-BC and exploring the role of the computer as a third participant in conversation.

The Computer Interactive Reminiscence Conversation Aid (CIRCA) is a software program using touch screen technology and digital materials from public archives to support conversation between people with dementia and their carers. In this 2-phase study, we first worked with seniors' focus groups to identify and select relevant content for a regional adaptation of CIRCA (British Columbia version of CIRCA [CIRCA-BC]). We then pilot tested CIRCA-BC with 3 participants having dementia and a conversation partner, analyzing their interactions to explore how they drew on program content and format to shape their conversations together.