news
Social robots in dementia care
A robotic seal has been shown to be a comfort to people with dementia.
When Paro the robotic seal was launched a few years ago, it generated widespread coverage. Now Griffith University has published research to show that even robotic animals can have significant benefits for those with dementia.
The research, published in The Journal of the American Medical Directors
Association, was led by professor Wendy
Moyle at Griffith’ s Menzies Health Institute Queensland. The study looked at whether the introduction of the Japanesedeveloped robotic seal could benefit people with dementia through a reduction in anxiety.
Paro responds to touch, temperature and voice, and costs about $ 8500. It is used in situations where live assistance animals aren’ t suitable. Some 415 people with dementia living in facilities participated in the study, the largest ever conducted using social robots.
Over the course of 10 weeks, the participants were separated into three groups: one group having individual sessions with Paro, one group having time with a plush toy( Paro with the robotic features switched off), and one control group continuing their routine facility care as usual.
Moyle said:“ We found that residents in the Paro group were significantly more verbally and visually engaged with the Paro than those in the plush toy group, suggesting that the robotics were beneficial.”
However, she added the caveat that“ a robotic animal such as Paro should not be used to replace staff time, but rather be used during those inevitable periods when staff are otherwise preoccupied or when the individual may benefit from comfort and stimulation”.
“ Knowing what works best, who with, and in what situations, will add to our understanding further of how Paro can be used in real clinical settings,” she said. ■
App detects pain
The ePAT app in use.
A smartphone tool has analysed facial expressions and vocalisations to accurately measure pain in people with dementia.
An app that assesses pain in people with dementia is comparable to existing pain scales, new research has found.
The study, recently accepted for publication in The Journal of Alzheimer’ s Disease, tested the validity and reliability of the electronic pain assessment tool( ePAT) in people with moderate to severe dementia.
Forty aged care residents older than 60 with moderate to severe dementia were recruited for the study, which assessed the psychometric properties of ePAT compared to the Abbey Pain
Scale. The research team recorded and analysed 353 paired pain assessments and found strong positive correlation between the two tools.
Pain is very common among people with dementia, but as the disease progresses they often lose their ability to communicate verbally, so the pain goes undetected, said co-author professor Jeff Hughes from Curtin University.
“ Being able to show the validity and reliability of an app used on a smartphone is an important step toward the adoption of more convenient technologies to derive accurate pain assessments,” he said.
The app, developed by Curtin University researchers, uses cameras in smartphones and tablets to capture a brief video of an individual with dementia, which is analysed using facial recognition software to detect the presence of facial microexpressions that are indicative of the presence of pain. The tool then combines this information with other pain indicators, such as vocalisations, behaviours and movements, to generate a pain severity score.
The company behind the tool, ePAT Technologies, said it is intended to be used in the first instance to measure a person’ s pain, and then further measurements can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the pain management provided to the person. ■
The ePAT app’ s six domains of pain assessment calculate a pain severity score. Photos: Supplied
8 agedcareinsite. com. au