Clinical Scorecard: The Role of Digital Innovations in Managing Emotions and Social Interactions in Dementia Care: A Comprehensive Review
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Dementia
Key Mechanisms
Digital technologies mediate social interactions and emotional expressions between care workers and residents, influencing the quality of social bonds.
Target Population
Elderly residents with dementia in care settings
Care Setting
Residential dementia care facilities
Key Highlights
Digital technologies such as social robots, sensors, tablets, and virtual experiences are increasingly used in dementia care to support social and emotional engagement.
Emotions are conceptualized as indicators of the quality of social bonds between care workers and residents, influenced by technology-mediated interactions.
Theoretical framework integrates Scheff's social bond theory with affordance theory to understand how digital technologies affect emotional and social dynamics in dementia care.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Assess emotional expressions of residents and care workers as indicators of social bond quality during technology-mediated interactions.
Management
Implement digital technologies that facilitate positive social engagement and emotional expression between care workers and residents.
Ensure care workers actively mediate technology use to support meaningful interactions and prevent resident isolation.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Observe emotional responses such as comfort, joy, safety, discomfort, anger, and vulnerability to evaluate the impact of digital technologies on social relationships.
Risks
Avoid overreliance on technology that may replace human care and lead to resident isolation or ethical concerns.
Be aware of potential negative emotional effects if technology use is not appropriately facilitated or accessible.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Residents with dementia in residential care settings
Digital technologies should be integrated thoughtfully with human facilitation to enhance emotional well-being and social bonds rather than replace human interaction.
Clinical Best Practices
Adopt a biopsychosocial and relational approach to interpreting emotional expressions in dementia care.
Facilitate triadic interactions among care workers, residents, and technology to optimize emotional and social outcomes.
Design and implement digital technologies sensitive to the emotional and relational needs of both residents and care workers.
