Abstract
Disorientation is a common and distressing experience for people living with dementia. It often manifests as confusion about time, place, or personal context. These episodes can increase anxiety, agitation, and safety risks, especially for persons with dementia (PwDs) who live independently at home. While assistive technologies have explored reminders, monitoring, and activity support, little research has explored how socially assistive robots can support the detection and management of disorientation in everyday living contexts. Hence, disorientation detection and intervention remain under-examined as socio-technical challenges. We conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with dementia caregivers and practitioners, including family and professional caregivers, occupational therapists, mental health practitioners, dementia nurse practitioners, and well-being and technology leads. The findings reveal that recurrent and fluctuating. It often emerges through behavioural cues such as repeated questioning, inappropriate activity timing and disrupted daily routines. Caregivers described orientation as emotionally charged, and direct correction may increase distress. The participants were generally receptive to robotic assistance when framed as supportive rather than corrective. Based on the insights, we identify essential design implications for socially assistive robots that provide context-aware orientation support, integrate into daily routines and support caregivers through timely escalation.
Abstract (translated)
URL
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.22008
