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Wiki source code of Problem Scenario

Version 8.1 by Doreen Mulder on 2022/03/02 12:41
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1 Depending on the severity of their condition, people with dementia have limited autonomy compared to their life before. This is also influenced by their living situation. They may live in care homes or dementia centers, where staff has limited time available to spend on each individual person.
2 Autonomy is one of the key psychological needs described in self-determination theory, describing how feeling fulfilled is influenced by how much a person feels in control of their own actions.
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4 For people with dementia, this may become problematic. Symptoms of their condition vary, but can include memory loss, concentration problems, struggling to participate in conversation, and being confused about time and place. This poses issues for their autonomy. They may become distracted or lost in familiar spaces. There is little time for personal guidance and fenced exploration, as residents need to be watched by staff members to make sure they are safe. Many care homes are fenced off and don't allow their residents to wander off beyond their allowed spaces. But even then, a person with dementia might get confused and lost, having trouble retracing their steps or finding their way in a seemingly unfamiliar environment. Sometimes staff is able to join in on the spontaneous activity, but they can't be there 24/7 for every single resident. A daily task, like walking towards the common room or dining hall might seem like something that people with dementia might get used to, but still this poses problems. Getting to engrain certain daily activities is also a struggle in the daily lifes of care workers and staff.
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6 One could propose to hire more staff members to ensure that every person in the care home gets the chance to perform daily leisurely activities at least semi-autonomously. But limited funding makes this solution hard to implement. To mitigate the issues posed by the aforemented solution, our work explores the options of a robotic aide for people with dementia.