Innovative approaches to dementia mate wareware education

For years, I’ve been teaching people how to care for those with dementia mate wareware. At the same time, I’ve been looking at how we can use technology to help care practitioners be more compassionate. It’s been a real nut to crack, trying to figure out how to get people to act with kindness at just the right moment. I’ve learnt that cultivating compassionate care is an art.

In my work, I’ve run into all sorts of problems. Some care practitioners speak English as a second language, which can cause misunderstandings. Sometimes staff learn things but don’t use them in their work. Often, care practitioners feel unmotivated or just plain tired. Then there’s the problem of medical knowledge sometimes getting in the way of seeing the person behind the dementia. In most of these cases, I’ve turned to technology to help solve the problem.

As I’ve been doing this work and research, I’ve had many “aha!” moments. These are happening more and more often now, thanks to new technology. In my doctorate research I’ve been writing about how technology is changing the way we think, learn, and work. Lately, it’s really taken off with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is literally helping me have more ‘aha’ moments!

This reminds me of an idea from a book called “The Data Gaze” by David Beer. He talks about how our world is speeding up because we have so much information available so quickly. With AI, this is happening even faster. We’re making connections and processing information quicker than ever before. This has pros and cons!

In my research, I’m trying to understand how we can harness these technologies to improve the care. One important idea in how we harness tech is something called ‘scaffolding‘. It’s like when you’re learning to ride a bike – at first, you have stabilisers, but as you get better, the stabilisers come off. In dementia care education, AI can provide this kind of support. At first, it might give a lot of guidance, but as the carer becomes more skilled, the AI steps back and lets them do more on their own.

Scaffolding is closely linked to the idea of reflective practice – thinking carefully about what you’ve done and how you can improve. After a training session, the AI might ask questions like:

• “How did you feel when Mrs Smith got angry?”
• “What worked well in calming her down?”
• “What might you try differently next time?”

These questions help care practitioners think deeply about their work and keep improving.

Dementia mate wareware care is like navigating a maze that’s constantly changing. Care practitioners face new challenges every day, requiring them to think on their feet and adapt quickly. In my research, I’ve been pondering: How can we prepare care practitioners for this ever-shifting landscape while keeping them engaged and motivated? That’s when I stumbled upon the concept of ‘gamification’. It was a lightbulb moment! Gamification in dementia mate wareware care education goes beyond just making learning fun. It’s about creating a risk-free playground where care practitioners can experiment with different approaches. Imagine a virtual world where you can practice handling a difficult situation over and over, trying out various strategies without any real-world consequences. That’s the power of gamification in this context.

By turning real-life scenarios into interactive, game-like experiences, we’re not just teaching facts – we’re building instincts. For instance, care practitioners might encounter a virtual avatar exhibiting signs of distress and must choose from various responses, seeing how each choice affects the outcome.

These AI-powered avatars can simulate a wide range of behaviours and reactions, providing a rich, immersive learning experience. This helps care practitioners develop the critical thinking skills needed to navigate the complexities of real-world care environments.

Let me give you some examples of how AI is already helping in dementia mate wareware care education:

1. Imagine a care practitioner using a mobile app that learns how they like to study. If they prefer videos, it shows more videos. If they like reading, it gives more text. This app can spot what the carer doesn’t know well and gives them more practice in those areas.
2. Some training programmes now have virtual patients – like characters in a video game. Care practitioners can practise talking to these virtual patients and making decisions about their care, without any risk of making mistakes with real people.
3. Some care practitioners are using chatbots – these are like smart assistants that can answer questions at any time. A care practitioner might ask, “What should I do if someone with dementia refuses to eat?” and get advice right away.

In the near future, we might see even more amazing things:

1. Imagine a care practitioner wearing smart glasses that give advice in real-time. The glasses might say, “Mrs Johnson looks confused. Try speaking more slowly and use simpler words.”
2. AI might be able to predict when a person with dementia mate wareware might have a difficult day, helping care practitioners to prevent problems before they happen.
3. We might have very personalised training scenarios. If a carer struggles with managing changed behaviour, the AI could create practice scenarios focused on just that.

Another exciting technology is Virtual Reality (VR) like our Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE) programme. With VR, care practitioners can experience what it’s like to have dementia mate wareware. They might put on a headset and suddenly find it hard to read a menu or feel lost in a familiar place. This helps care practitioners understand how frightening and confusing dementia mate wareware can be, making them more patient and understanding in their work.

All of this technology isn’t meant to replace human care. Instead, it’s about helping care practitioners become better at their jobs. It’s about caring better, not just faster.

As I continue my research and teaching, I’m excited about where this technology might take us. It could help solve many of the problems I’ve seen over the years, like language barriers or providing support to care practitioners exactly when they need it.

By using AI and VR, we can teach dementia mate wareware care in new and better ways, ultimately improving life for both care practitioners and people living with dementia mate wareware.