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The purpose of our study is to provide comfort through digital resources (e.g., music and visual materials) for patients/residents with dementia in hospitals and long-term care. By working with users (patients/residents, families, and staff) and using a co-design approach, we have developed a mobile app prototype called “WhatMatters” to equip staff with a useful digital tool for delivering person-centered care in hospitals and long-term care homes. Using user experience co-design methods, we conducted a series of virtual co-design workshops with acute and long-term care staff (n=10), clinical experts (n=3), residents (n=3), and patient and family partners (n=7) to understand: (a) what “comfort” means, (b) how care needs are communicated and provided for, and (c) how a mobile app may be used to support psychosocial needs of people living with dementia in hospital and long-term care settings. Thematic analysis has identified three themes to inform the development of the mobile app WhatMatters: (a) familiarity brings comfort, (b) sharing of information between staff and families allows for continuity of care and person-centered care, and (c) accessible and curated content can evoke memories and create a comforting space. Our study conclusions are: It is feasible and necessary to work with users (including clinical staff, patient, and family partners) and relevant stakeholders to co-design a mobile app, a useful tool to support the delivery of person-centered care in care settings.

Introduction The pandemic provides a unique opportunity to examine new directions in innovative technological approaches in long-term care (LTC) homes. While robotics could enhance staff capacity to provide care, there are potential technology risks and ethical concerns involved in technology use among older people residing in communal aged care homes. This qualitative descriptive study explores the technological risks and ethical issues associated with the adoption of robots in the specific context of LTC homes. Methods The research team including patient and family partners employed purposive and snowballing methods to recruit 30 LTC participants: frontline interdisciplinary staff, operational leaders, residents and family members, and ethics experts in dementia care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes that capture empirical experiences and perspectives of a diverse group of LTC stakeholders about robotic use. Results Technological risks include safety, increased workload, privacy, cost and social justice, and human connection. The findings offer practical insights based on the LTC perspective to contribute to the robot ethics literature. We propose a list of pragmatic recommendations, focusing on six principles (ETHICS): Engagement of stakeholders, Technology benefit and risk assessment, Harm mitigation, Individual autonomy, Cultural safety and justice, Support of privacy. Conclusions There is both a growing interest as well as fear in using robotics in LTC. Practice leaders need to reflect on ethical considerations and engage relevant stakeholders in making technology decisions for everyday care.

Social isolation has been a significant issue in aged care settings, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is associated with adverse outcomes, including loneliness, depression, and cognitive decline. While robotic assistance may help mitigate social isolation, it would be helpful to know how to adopt technology in aged care. This scoping review aims to explore facilitators and barriers to the implementation of telepresence robots in aged care settings. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews reporting guidelines, we searched relevant peer-reviewed studies through eight databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, PsychINFO (EBSCO), Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library. Google was used to search gray literature, including descriptive, evaluative, quantitative, and qualitative designs. Eligibility includes: studies with people aged 65 years and older who interacted with a telepresence robot in a care setting, and articles written in English. We conducted a thematic analysis to summarize the evidence based on the constructs in the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research. Of 1183 articles retrieved, 13 were included in the final review. The analysis yielded three themes: relative advantages, perceived risks and problems, and contextual considerations. The key facilitators to telepresence robot adoption are as follows: a feeling of physical presence, ease of use, mobility, and training. The barriers to implementation are as follows: cost, privacy issues, internet connectivity, and workflow. Future research should investigate the role of leadership support in implementation and practical strategies to overcome barriers to technology adoption in aged care settings.

The use of touchscreen tablets, such as the iPad, offers potential to support the person with dementia staying in a care setting, ranging from a long-term care home to an adult day programme. Although electronic devices are used among people with dementia, a comprehensive review of studies focusing on their impact and how they may be used effectively in care settings is lacking. We conducted a scoping review to summarize existing knowledge about the impact of touchscreen tablets in supporting social connections and reducing responsive behaviours of people with dementia in care settings. Our research team consists of patient partners and family partners, physicians, nurses, a medical student and an academic professor. A total of 17 articles were included in the review. Our analysis identified three ways in which touchscreen tablets support dementia care: (1) increased the person’s engagement, (2) decreased responsive behaviours and (3) positive effect on enjoyment/quality of life for people with dementia. Lessons learned and barriers to the use of touchscreen tablets in the care of people with dementia are described. Overall, only a few studies delineated strategies that helped to overcome barriers to technology adoption in care settings. Knowledge translation studies are needed to identify effective processes and practical tips to overcome barriers and realize the potential of assistive technology in dementia care.

There is limited literature on using visual videos and images with people with dementia in care settings. We conducted a scoping review on this topic to fill this literature gap. Our scoping review adopted the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. We eventually included eleven papers for the review and conducted the content analysis. We found the facilitators for implementing visual videos and images with people with dementia in care settings: 1. Matching people’s interests 2. Being congruent with people’s cognitive abilities 3. Support from families and staff 4. Using in a group setting. We also found the barriers: 1. Staff is unwilling to support 2. Lack of resources 3. Not congruent with the cognitive or other abilities of the people. We found benefits of using visual videos and images with this population: 1. Encourage expression 2. Facilitate discussions with other people 3. Improve well-being. We also found drawbacks: the potential of arousing negative emotions and memories. We suggest future research should include the voices of people with dementia, staff should be trained to support the people in case negative memories and emotions are aroused, and there should be consideration of using visual videos and images to tackle isolation and loneliness in care settings. With these findings, this scoping review should shed light on implementing visual videos and images in care settings.

Aims: This scoping review explores key strategies of creating inclusive dementia-friendly communities that support people with dementia and their informal caregiver. Background: Social exclusion is commonly reported by people with dementia. Dementia-friendly community has emerged as an idea with potential to contribute to cultivating social inclusion. Methods: This scoping review follows the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology and took place between April and September 2020. The review included a three-step search strategy: (1) identifying keywords from CINAHL and AgeLine; (2) conducting a second search using all identified keywords and index terms across selected databases (CINAHL, AgeLine, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google); and (3) hand-searching the reference lists of all included articles and reports for additional studies. Results: Twenty-nine papers were included in the review. Content analysis identified strategies for creating dementia-friendly communities: (a) active involvement of people with dementia and caregivers (b) inclusive environmental design; (c) public education to reduce stigma and raise awareness; and (d) customized strategies informed by theory. Conclusion: This scoping review provides an overview of current evidence on strategies supporting dementia-friendly communities for social inclusion. Future efforts should apply implementation science theories to inform strategies for education, practice, policy and future research.

Introduction People with dementia may refuse care because they feel overwhelmed by an unfamiliar environment. Everyday technology such as tablets have the potential to support person-centred dementia care in hospitals. Aims We aimed to identify barriers and enabling factors in order to develop a toolkit to support the use of tablets in engaging individual and group activities, especially to play family videos, for hospitalized older people with dementia. Methods A participatory action research approach was employed. We facilitated staff focus groups and conducted interviews with stakeholders. A toolkit was developed based on participants’ perspectives on how to support successful adoption. Results Our analysis identified two enabling factors: users’ engagement in developing a toolkit for support and adapting implementation to meet local needs. Barriers included staff and family inexperience, mechanical instability of hardware, issues around privacy and data access, technology use and personalization of messages. The toolkit includes short videos, a brochure for family caregivers, and a pocket card for staff. Discussion and implications: Staff, family and patients start with varying levels of experience with the use of tablets, making education and support vitally important to implementation. Health organizations should involve staff, patients, and families to find practical solutions.

New technology, such as social robots, opens up new opportunities in hospital settings. PARO, a robotic pet seal, was designed to provide emotional and social support for older people with dementia. We applied video-ethnographic methods, including conversational interviews and observations with video recording among 10 patient participants while they were using the robot. We also conducted semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with nursing staff to gain contextual information. Patient and family partners were actively involved in the study as co-researchers. This study reports our findings on the perceptions of 10 patients with dementia about their experiences with PARO in a hospital setting. Thematic analysis yielded three substantive themes: (a) ‘it’s like a buddy’ – the robot helps people with dementia uphold a sense of self in the world, (b) ‘it’s a conversation piece’ – the baby seal facilitates social connection and (c) ‘it makes me happy’ – PARO transforms and humanizes the clinical setting. Our findings help provide a better understanding of the perspectives of patients with dementia on the use of social robots.

IntroductionThe disabilities associated with dementia make the adjustment to staying in a care setting stressful. Separation from family can exacerbate the effects of stress. The use of touch screen tablets such as an iPad may offer potential to support the person with dementia staying in a care setting. Although electronic devices are used among people with dementia for a variety of purposes, a comprehensive review of studies focusing on their impact in care settings for social connection and patient/resident behaviour is lacking. This scoping review will focus on the use of touch screen tablets to support social connections and reducing responsive behaviours of people with dementia while in a care setting, such as a hospital ward.Methods and analysisThis scoping review will follow Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. The review team consists of two patient partners and three family partners, a nurse researcher, a research assistant and an academic professor. All authors including patient and family partners were involved in preparing this scoping review protocol. In the scoping review, we will search the following databases: MEDLINE, AgeLine, Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO and IEEE. Google and Google Scholar will be used to search for additional literature. A hand search will be conducted using the reference lists of included studies to identify additional relevant articles. Included studies must report on the impact of using a touch screen technology intervention that involves older adults with dementia in care settings, published in English since 2009.Ethics and disseminationThis review study does not require ethics approval. By examining the current state of using touch screen tablets to support older people with dementia in care settings, this scoping review can offer useful insight into users’ needs (eg, patients’ and care providers’ needs) and inform future research and practice. We will share the scoping review results through conference presentations and an open access publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

In this contribution, we used our thermo-optical method to characterize the quiescent crystallization behavior of hexadecane-in-water dispersions and to determine the number based crystallization index CI N as a function of supercooling and mean droplet size. We observed two crystallization regimes in our model dispersion: (1) individual and stochastic crystallization of droplets at low supercooling and (2) mean droplet size dependent crystallization of droplets at high supercooling. We then applied shear (shear rates between 50 and 1250 s −1 ) in a shear cell and compared the quiescent crystallization to the crystallization under defined shear. We could not observe any shear-induced acceleration of nucleation during cooling. At low shear rates (between 50 and 250 s −1 ) we detected aggregation of the dispersed droplets/particles during cooling. Applying a shear rate of 1250 s −1 even completely suppressed the crystallization and the hexadecane-in-water emulsions remained in supercooled liquid state.

Background Given the complexity of providing dementia care in hospitals, integrating technology into practice is a high challenge and an important opportunity. Although there are a growing demand and interest in using social robots in a variety of care settings to support dementia care, little is known about the impacts of the robotics and their application in care settings, i.e., what worked, in which situations, and how. Methods Scientific databases and Google Scholar were searched to identify publications published since 2000. The inclusion criteria consisted of older people with dementia, care setting, and social robot PARO. Results A total of 29 papers were included in the review. Content analysis identified 3 key benefits of and 3 barriers to the use of PARO. Main benefits include: reducing negative emotion and behavioral symptoms, improving social engagement, and promoting positive mood and quality of care experience. Key barriers are: cost and workload, infection concerns, and stigma and ethical issues. This review reveals 3 research gaps: (a) the users’ needs and experiences remain unexplored, (b) few studies investigate the process of how to use the robot effectively to meet clinical needs, and (c) theory should be used to guide implementation. Conclusions Most interventions conducted have been primarily researcher-focused. Future research should pay more attention to the clinical needs of the patient population and develop strategies to overcome barriers to the adoption of PARO in order to maximize patient benefits. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-019-1244-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

PARO, a robotic pet, was designed to provide emotional and social support for older people with dementia. This project aims to explore the perception of persons with dementia about the role of PARO in a hospital setting. Video-ethnographic methods were applied. Patient and family partners were involved in the fieldwork of data collection and analysis. We conducted conversational interviews with ten patients with dementia staying in a geriatric unit and video observations. Thematic analysis yielded three substantive themes: (a) “it’s like a buddy”, the robot helps persons with dementia to uphold a sense of self in the world, (b) “it’s a conversation piece”, the baby seal facilitates social connection, and (c) “it’s all about love”, PARO transforms and humanizes the clinical setting. Our findings contribute to providing a better understanding of the direct perspectives of patients with dementia on the use of the social robot.