Remote communication support system as communication catalyst for dementia care

In this paper we describe a prototype remote communication support system to be used as a communication catalyst for dementia care. The system aims to delay the progression of dementia and helps caregivers by facilitating the social interaction of dementia patients. In the system framework, a video telecommunication system was installed in order to enable communication between patients and caregivers. Next, a system control board was designed to maintain robust operation so that users could connect with each other anytime. In the system, we also implemented a reminiscence based therapy application to prevent the progression of dementia. The application can show old photos to dementia patients during a typical video chat. From the caregivers´ point of view, our system is also an important form of assistance for repeating announcements and instructions to dementia patients with poor memory. Accordingly, we also made a video replay application which can be set to replay video at a fixed time everyday. Finally, we made aesthetically pleasing robots that serve to make interaction with the system more natural for dementia patients.