technology
Will you be looking to create a new tool or just use one that’s
already on the market?
What we’re anticipating is that we’ll use available technology and
then adjust it so it’s more suitable. So, not designing all aspects of
the technology, but making sure how it’s used is easy to navigate
for older people.
How accurate is voice-to-voice translation technology? How
confident can a user be that the person they are conversing
with has received the correct message?
everyday care needs to carers who don’t speak the same
language. Having access to something like this can ensure
that those people with dementia from CALD backgrounds can
communicate things like pain, and that simple safety messages
can be communicated to them, and that they remain at home
as long as possible with support from carers. That ability to talk
to the person who’s coming to care for you and communicate
your needs and your wants and desires will make a huge
difference to your life.
That’s a great question. We know that voice-to-voice
technology can be quite accurate for very common languages,
particularly if what sits behind has a dictionary of words and
phrases within it. But for less common languages, it appears
that the current voice-to-voice technology is not necessarily
always accurate.
What we’re going to do is use interpreters to ensure that when
we finally get to the point of implementing this new approach
there is accuracy in the translated text. When might we see this form of the technology used in the
community? What’s the timeline like for the project?
What difference do you think an intervention like this could
make to the everyday lives of people with dementia from
CALD communities? Definitely. At the moment, we are just trialling this within
the aged care sector. But certainly, there is potential
application for use in hospital settings and within other day-
to-day interactions – for example, at the shops – for those
everyday needs. ■
I think it could have a huge impact. Currently, it’s very difficult
for people from different backgrounds to communicate their
We have a two-year timeframe for this project. We anticipate
doing some pilot work towards the end of those two years.
Depending on the outcome of that, further refinement and
development of the technology would have to happen to see it
implemented on a larger scale.
Could this technology have broader applications or be
adopted by other community groups or services?
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Sacha Palmer, Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)
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