In this section, we present the relevant personas for our system. We have created 2 personas for people with dementia, one persona for a relative of a person with dementia, and one persona for a caretaker from the care home.

Anna

Age: 82

Residence: Care home in Delft

Diagnosis: Early to mid-stage

Biography:

Anna is a kind and gentle person who has always had a passion for painting. She lived a full life as an English teacher, while also focusing on her family. Anna was always busy with various hobbies, but painting was her favorite activity. She loved to capture the beauty of nature on canvas and spent many hours creating beautiful works of art. Despite her diagnosis, Anna still enjoys painting, and it is a source of comfort for her. However, in recent years, her memory has begun to fade, and she struggles to remember even the simplest of things.

Scenario without Technology:

Anna spends most of her days sitting in her room, looking out of the window, watching television, or attempting to paint. She finds it challenging to stay focused on her work due to her cognitive difficulties, which can be frustrating for her. Anna sometimes gets confused and struggles to remember where her painting supplies are located, which often leads to her feeling anxious.

Scenario with Technology:

Joachim, Anna’s caretaker has introduces a new robot that assists people with dementia in completing tasks related to painting. The robot is equipped with functionalities such as pointing out where Anna should paint, providing her with inspiration and ideas, giving her help in the artistic process, and gathering information about her preferences from her caregivers and family members.

Anna is very excited to have the robot’s support. Joachim lets Anna know that she can have a painting session accompanied by the robot, in order to see if it is a good fit for her. She takes her painting supplies and starts thinking about what to paint. The robot suggests she paint the back garden of the care home. They both go into the garden, Anna sits on a bench and starts painting. During the process, the robot gives her suggestions for her process, such as colors to use, and elements to include. When Anna finishes the painting, the robot takes a picture of it and adds it to a gallery.

Bart

Age: 78

Residence: Care home in Delft

Diagnosis: Early-stage

Biography:

Bart used to work as an engineer before retiring, and he enjoyed tinkering with machines and figuring out how things worked. However, since moving into the care home, he has become more reserved and withdrawn, preferring to spend most of his time watching TV instead of socializing with other residents or participating in activities. As an engineer, he used to draw a lot for his job. However, since his retirement, he hasn’t practiced drawing in a while.

Scenario without Technology:

Bart spends most of his days in his room, watching TV or reading a newspaper. He rarely engages with the staff or other residents, which has led to concerns about his mental and emotional well-being.

Scenario with Technology:

Bart was initially reluctant to try any new technology, but when the care home introduced a robot designed to assist people with dementia in completing tasks related to art, he became interested.

At first, Bart was hesitant to interact with the robot, but as it began to demonstrate its painting functionalities, Bart became curious. He has not drawn in a while, so he needed some inspiration. The robot put an image of a house on its display. He picked up a pencil and began to draw, and the robot started to assist him with suggestions and feedback. Bart was impressed by the robot's ability to understand his preferences and help him with his drawing.

As he painted, Bart started to open up about his past experiences as an engineer. He talked about his passion for machines and how he used to spend hours with gadgets in his workshop. The robot listened to him and encouraged him to keep drawing, which helped him to feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Over time, Bart started to look forward to his drawing sessions with the robot. He found that it was a calming and enjoyable way to spend his time, and he was grateful for the robot's company.

Sarah

Age: 55

Residence: Rotterdam

Biography:

Sarah is the daughter of Bart and is deeply invested in his wellbeing. She works full-time and has a family to take care of, which means that she can only visit her father once or twice during the weekends. She wants to make sure that her father receives the best possible care and that he is happy and fulfilled in his daily life.

Scenario without Technology:

Sarah feels guilty about not being able to visit her father more often and worries that she is not doing enough to support him. She tries to call the care home as frequently as possible to check in on his progress, but she often feels like she is not getting a clear picture of how he is doing.

Scenario with Technology:

When the care home introduces the robot designed to assist people with dementia in completing tasks related to art, Sarah realizes that the robot could be a valuable tool for keeping track of her father's progress and status.

Before the robot's first interaction with Bart, Sarah provides information about his interests and preferences, as well as any relevant medical history. As the robot begins to interact with her father, Sarah is able to gain insight into his mental and emotional well-being, as well as his progress in his art projects.

The robot's monitoring functionalities allow Sarah to keep track of her father's daily activities and health status, even when she is not able to visit him in person. She is able to receive alerts if there is a problem, which gives her peace of mind knowing that her father is being looked after and cared for.

Sarah also appreciates that the robot can adapt to her father's preferences and feedback. If there is something that he doesn't like or is uncomfortable with, she can provide that information to the robot, and it will adjust its functionalities accordingly.

Although Sarah cannot physically be with her father as often as she would like, the robot's functionalities allow her to stay connected with him and ensure that he is receiving the care and support he needs. She is grateful for the technology and how it has made a positive impact on her father's life, as well as her own peace of mind.

Joachim

Age: 30

Residence: Delft

Biography:

Joachim is a caretaker at a care home in Delft. His main responsibilities include taking care of the medical and mental state of the patients, as well as entertaining them from time to time. He is passionate about his job and wants to ensure that the people under his care receive the best possible care and support. The team in the care home is not numerous, so he tries to do as many group activities as possible. However, some of the patients don’t enjoy such activities, which makes it harder for the staff to entertain them.

Scenario without technology:

Before the introduction of the robot designed to assist people with dementia in completing tasks related to art, Joachim had to split his time between medical care and entertainment. He often felt overwhelmed and struggled to provide the patients with the attention they needed in both areas.

Scenario with technology:

Joachim is excited to try the robot, as he sees it as a valuable tool for improving the quality of care that he is able to provide. He provides the robot with information about the people in the care home, including their interests, preferences, and medical history. This allows the robot to adapt its functionalities to the specific needs of each individual.

Joachim relies on the robot for some tasks related to entertainment, such as suggesting painting ideas and providing inspiration. This frees up more of his time to focus on the medical care of the people with dementia in the care home. He is also able to receive alerts from the robot if there is a critical situation, allowing him or other caretakers to respond quickly and effectively.

Joachim appreciates that the robot is able to adapt based on feedback from the people in the care home and from himself. If there is something that is not working or that could be improved, he can provide that information to the robot, which will adjust its functionalities accordingly.

Overall, Joachim sees the robot as a valuable tool for improving the quality of care that he is able to provide to the people with dementia in the care home. He is excited to see the positive impact that it will have on their lives, and is committed to using it to its full potential.