Reimagining robots for dementia: From robots for care-receivers/giver to robots for carepartners

Abstract

Informal caregivers are the main source of dementia care. Considering the importance of both family caregivers and persons living with dementia (PwDs), this paper explores how these two parties go through their dementia journey and how they envision robots to support them. We adopt a person-centered care approach which views these couples as reciprocal carepartners, rather than as caregivers and care-receivers. The contribution of this paper is threefold: First, we present how a person-centered care approach reveals previously invisible issues of PwDs and carepartners (CPs) as partners and citizens. Second, we suggest slow communication as an important robot design feature. Third, we address the importance of paying attention to disagreements between PwDs and CPs about robot design preferences. Considering the interdependency of the two parties, robot design processes should allow the two to negotiate.