The Role of Conversational AI in Ageing and Dementia Care at Home: A Participatory Study

Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technologies hold significant promise to support the independence, well-being and safety of older adults living with frailty or dementia at home. However, further studies are needed to identify: 1) valuable scenarios of support, 2) desired interactive features, and 3) key challenges preventing long-term adoption and utility in dementia care. In this paper, we explore the role of conversational technology in ageing and dementia care at home. Using a community-based participatory approach, we engaged 20 stakeholders, including people with lived experience of dementia and frailty, to understand preferences, perceived benefits and concerns about integrating conversational AI into daily routines at home. We uncovered key roles of the technology, including support of daily functions, health monitoring, risk mitigation, and cognitive stimulation. We emphasize the need for adapting interactions to different levels of user familiarity and progression of cognitive decline. We address the importance of the communication style and suggest careful use of open-ended questions with target populations. We further discuss feasibility considerations to overcome current barriers to adoption. Overall, this work proposes design guidelines to shape the future conceptualization and development of natural language interactions to support dementia care at home