Rememo: A Research-through-Design Inquiry Towards an AI-in-the-loop Therapist's Tool for Dementia Reminiscence

Reminiscence therapy (RT) is a common non-pharmacological intervention in dementia care. Recent technology-mediated interventions have largely focused on people with dementia through solutions that replace human facilitators with conversational agents. However, the relational work of facilitation is critical in the effectiveness of RT. Hence, we developed Rememo, a therapist-oriented tool that integrates Generative AI to support and enrich human facilitation in RT. Our tool aims to support the infrastructural and cultural challenges that therapists in Singapore face. In this research, we contribute the Rememo system as a therapist’s tool for personalized RT developed through sociotechnically-aware research-through-design. Through studying this system in-situ, our research extends our understanding of human-AI collaboration for care work. We discuss the implications of designing AI-enabled systems that respect the relational dynamics in care contexts, and argue for a rethinking of synthetic imagery as a therapeutic support for memory rather than a record of truth.