Tracking Together: A Robot-and-App-Based Speech Analysis System to Support Shared Meaning-Making Among Dementia Care Partners

Tracking for people living with dementia and their care partners is primarily focused on quantified dementia symptoms presented to care partners. However, what people living with dementia want to track, what other aspects of dementia care partners wish to know, and how tracking fits within the care relationship remain to be identified. We performed an exploratory study in which eight people living with dementia and nine care partners provided iterative design feedback on a system concept: one that captures conversational data from a robot and visualizes it through a speech-tracking mobile application. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we found that people living with dementia wanted to use the system to maintain autonomy, especially by talking about their symptoms with the robot and using tracked information as a memory aid. Care partners valued numerical insights into the cognitive progress of people living with dementia only when accompanied by clear calls to action that supported them in their caregiver roles. Simultaneously, in their relational roles as spouses or children, care partners valued tracking memories and discussion points to understand their loved ones better. Our results suggest that providing related but distinct information tailored to each user’s needs can support both in their care relationship.