Human Factors

Human factors knowledge

The human factors will be tackled from the perspective of the Self Determination Theory^[1]. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness will be considered and discussed for multiple points of view. The objective is to identify the values of people with dementia and the tasks which relate to these values, and to find a suitable technology that can halp achieve these goals.

Values and tasks

According to Perspectives of People with Dementia About Meaningful Activities: A Synthesis^[2], the three main themes wich relate to meaningful activities are the connection to self, to others, and to the environment. The tasks which can help accomplish these needs are varied and may also target more than one need at a time.

We believe that the most important value for the people with dementia is retaining the control over their lives, and not having to rely on others to complete their daily tasks and tend to their basic needs.

Autonomy

Autonomy mainly relates to the conntection to self. People with dementia want to be in control of their lives and to live as normally as possible, despite their illness. To this end, they should be able to make decisions on their own, but also be provided with help when they seek it. In terms of relation to the environment, homeliness and familiarity are imporant factors which help people with dementia feel at ease, so a familiar environment in which they feel "in control" can provide autonomy.

Competence

Just like autonomy, competence focuses on the connection to self, but the context shifts to providing reinforcing feedback. Providing people with technology which reinforces competence implies them not having to overly rely on the technology itself, so the goal of the technology should be to reinforce memory and to attempt to slow down memory deterioration as much as possible. People should also feel capable of keeping the daily routines they have already established.

Relatedness

Connections to others are the most important in providing relatedness. More specifically, by letting people with dementia know that there are others struggling with the same issues as them, will provide them with a sense of being understood and can also help them learn how to cope from others' experience.

References

[1] Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. "Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being." American psychologist 55.1 (2000): 68.
[2] Han, Areum, et al. "Perspectives of people with dementia about meaningful activities: a synthesis." American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias® 31.2 (2016): 115-123.