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.