To accompany the launch of our new introductory video, we have now launched a visual guide for AcTo Dementia users!

This guide is available to view online or print (at home) and will allow users to learn how to navigate the website at their own pace. It has been carefully designed as the companion to the How-To video (currently visible on our home page) and serves as a step-by-step guide on app selection, download and set-up using the recommended accessibility settings.

The AcTo Dementia Guide is now available in our Guides tab along the top of the menu bar.

Although currently only available in English, we hope to translate it to other languages soon! Stay tuned for more versions.

Our welcome screen now includes an introductory video created by Juanita Atton.

This quick video guide has been developed to help users navigate our website easier and learn to make use of all the features available!

You asked, we listened. You will also notice our side bar options have changed to include filtering for Most Popular games.

Don’t see your favourite game listed? Tweet us or Contact Us to let us know why it should be added!

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked to resolve our technical issues.

All app reviews have now been updated to reflect the changes and users can now access the direct download link for each app.

Please do reach out to us via our Contact Us page if you encounter any further issues.

We are aware that some users are reporting technical issues while navigating the AcTo Dementia website.

At this time, users may experience issues when trying to view and download apps from the Apple App Store using the built-in feature under our app reviews.

Although the download image may not be visible, users can still click on the area (highlighted by the orange square on the image above) to access the app store link.

We are working on resolving the issue as soon as possible and appreciate your patience.

Based on user feedback and popular searches on our website, the AcTo dementia team has been hard at work these past few months working on analyzing brand new games.

You can now find fun new apps for making pottery and planting your own flower garden! These apps are sure to keep you busy and encourage creativity with endless possibilities.

P.S. If you’re feeling extra creative, you can even send a virtual flower bouquet to friends and loved ones through our new Flower Garden app! (Wifi connection required)

If there is a particular kind of game or activity that you would like us to look into, please get in touch, either in the comments section of this post (below), by sending us a message or through Twitter. We'd love to hear your ideas and if we can find an app that meets our high standards for people living with dementia, we'll post it on the site.

We are very excited to announce the recent addition of new Chinese apps to our website. We have updated our crowd favourite fruit matching game and added more card games for you to enjoy for both iOS and Android users. Additionally, you can now access these reviews in both Chinese and English.

If there is a particular kind of game or activity that you would like us to look into, please get in touch, either in the comments section of this post (below), by sending us a message or through Twitter. We'd love to hear your ideas and if we can find an app that meets our high standards for people living with dementia, we'll post it on the site.

Aimed at anyone curious about using technology for dementia, this book includes guidance on what technology is available, what other people find useful, and tips on how to get started. With chapters written by experts from around the world, Using Technology in Dementia Care: A Guide to Technology Solutions for Everyday Living, provides an accessible introduction for people living with dementia and their family members, as well as providers of health, social care and housing for people living with dementia. Summaries of how technology for dementia has developed and where it is going, also make this book of interest to researchers, developers and companies wishing to enter the field of dementia technology. 

Readers can find practical information about using technology at home, outdoors, for daily activities and fun. There is also information for families providing care for someone with dementia which includes specific technologies for making everyday life easier, reassurance and peace of mind, spending time together, keeping in touch, and looking after themselves.

The book is published by Jessica Kinglsey Publishers and is available from their website and many other online book stores.

The AcTo Dementia project itself is featured in Chapter 5, Leisure Activities and Technology with Dementia, with details on how AcTo evolved and the research underpinning the project. A full list of the chapters and authors can be seen below:

Part 1: An overview of technology for dementia

Chapter 1: An introduction to technology for dementia

Professor Arlene Astell, Erica Dove and Dr Alexandra Hernandez

Chapter 2: Assessing the needs of people with dementia for technology

Professor Louise Nygård, Dr Camilla Malinowsky and Dr Lena Rosenberg

Chapter 3: Ethical issues in technology for dementia

Dr Jennifer Boger, Professor Jeffrey Jutai, Dr Anne Moorhead, Professor Maurice Mulvenna and Dr Raymond Bond

Part 2: Technology in the lives of people with dementia

Chapter 4: Life at home and technology with dementia

Dr Grant Gibson

Chapter 5: Outdoor life and technology with dementia

Dr Rens Brankaert and Sandra Suijkerbuijk

Chapter 6: Leisure activities and technology with dementia

Dr Phil Joddrell and Dr Sarah Kate Smith

Chapter 7: Technology use by people with dementia

Ken Clasper, Tom Hawkins, Ann Johnson, Keith Oliver with Nada Savitch

Part 3: Technology ecosystem for dementia

Chapter 8: Technology for families of people with dementia

Dr Emma Wolverson, Rosie Dunn and Caroline White

Chapter 9: Technology for organisations supporting people with dementia

Dr Julie Christie and Professor Mary Marshall

Chapter 10: Dementia-friendly future

Dr Stephen Czarnuch and Professor Arlene Astell

Over the last few weeks, we have been busy working on expanding our range of accessible apps. As you may have noticed, we now have a new browsing tab dedicated to multilingual games some of which include all-time favorites such as Battleship and Shuffle Bowling.

In the coming weeks, we will also be adding brand new traditional Spanish card and board games for both single player and multiplayer gameplay!

If there is a particular kind of game or activity that you would like us to look into, please get in touch, either in the comments section of this post (below), by sending us a message or through Twitter. We'd love to hear your ideas and if we can find an app that meets our high standards for people living with dementia, we'll post it on the site.

If there is a particular kind of game or activity that you would like us to look into, please get in touch, either in the comments section of this post (below), by sending us a message or through Twitter. We'd love to hear your ideas and if we can find an app that meets our high standards for people living with dementia, we'll post it on the site.

The long-term care homes are currently in the process of purchasing tablets and we have offered recommendations on the AcTo website to help them determine potential games to preload. The Astell Lab is also happy to offer training workshops once they have obtained the devices.

Congratulations to the staff at the City of Toronto Long-term Care Homes and Services for their hard work and we are excited for this new initiative! 

Yuhan Pan, a member of the Astell Lab, was invited to give a keynote presentation on the AcTo Dementia project, focusing on a more recent study which sought to identify Chinese touchscreen games. This on-going study was conducted at one of the City of Toronto care homes, exploring how Chinese-speaking people with dementia interact with tablet (iPad) games. Several culturally specific games (e.g. Mahjong) and novel games were selected through the AcTo evaluation framework, and played by the participants. Current results of the study were consistent with previous project findings; participants were able to learn to use the technology without prior exposure and enjoyed playing the games. 

In order to connect better with the generation that grew up with technology, this presentation took an interactive style by asking questions at the beginning or end of each section. The questions ranged from personal experience with technology (e.g. what games they played and why they liked them) to interaction with people living with dementia. The audience, including young volunteers and volunteer coordinators from long-term care facilities were highly engaged throughout the 45-minute presentation, asking questions, making comments and throwing out ideas. Many offered valuable insights from their experiences. One prompt was “What kind of games might be suitable for residents with dementia to play?”, multiple people commented on elements such as choice of colour, timely feedback, and other aspects that corroborated the criteria in the AcTo dementia evaluation framework. Other times youths talked about how they communicated with residents who might not be fluent in English (e.g. gestures, pictures, etc.) as the presentation stressed on bringing meaningful activities to members outside of the cultural majority. 

The Q&A session was especially fruitful regarding our understanding on ways to engage the younger generation in the field of dementia, and applying what they learned into their volunteer work. Some volunteers asked how they could work with the staff to bring iPads into residents’ regular activities, such as whether the games need internet to play, and how many devices they might need; others expressed that they might and try some of the AcTo dementia recommended games with their family members or residents they were working with.  

There were also questions on the future possibilities of similar projects, which showed the youths’ interest in the dementia research field itself. One attendee asked if the Astell Lab was considering augmented reality devices such as the HoloLens. Another volunteer was curious about whether there were companies that specialize in making accessible apps for people living with dementia. Hearing those questions was especially heartening, as upon learning about just one research project, the youths were already trying to connect the hot topics from the tech world with the research world. Since Yuhan was a former volunteer at one of the care homes and was in their position not so long ago, the attendees also asked questions regarding university experiences and career choices. These type of questions seemed to resonate with many young volunteers as some of them followed-up during the break, curious about how to get involved in research at their own schools

It was encouraging to know that this presentation helped shed some light on the attitude (even enthusiasm) towards dementia research amongst the next generation of bright minds, perfectly demonstrated by this question from one youth volunteer: “How old do you need to be in order to get into research?”.

The Alice Cross Centre in Teignmouth, Devon is a place where local older people can have lunch, socialise and take part in lots of activities. Volunteering in Health held a successful monthly Memory Café at the Alice Cross Centre for people with dementia. In June 2017 they decided to make the Memory Café a weekly event, every Thursday morning. This change meant more activities had to be planned for the café.

I was asked to run a ‘play with tablets’ session at the group once a month. With the help of grants from the Clare Milne Trust and the Incredible Fund, the centre bought 3 iPads and 1 Lenovo tablet. From the outset we all agreed we wanted the session to be fun and also not scary as we knew many of those attending might never have touched a tablet computer before.

The AcTo Dementia site was invaluable as it gave us much needed information on which apps might work for the Memory Café based on real evidence and testing. It meant we had confidence before we started that the sessions might have a good chance of working.  We knew which apps we could use the free version of and those it would be better if we upgraded to a paid for one. There was also a variety that could be played as just an individual or with two people. We added about 10 apps to each tablet. At the first session a lot of the group did not want to engage but kept looking at what was going on. 

We are now six months on and the iPads are almost expected by the group when I arrive. When I set up, regular attendees ask for their favourite app like Jigty and I load new jigsaws on before the session on their favourite topic. Others play Battleships or Draughts or Dominoes together. For those who don’t remember previous sessions or are new to the group, they have confidence from seeing others have a go and there is a positive atmosphere. Firm favourites are the Wordsearches, Crosswords, Jigsaws and Hangman. No-one is forced to try and everyone stops when they want. The use of the apps has generated conversations, for example when an American spelt word comes up or a word nobody knows the meaning of, we google it together! This often leads to other conversations. We try and have a theme each session and fit the apps around that. Volunteers to the session also help the group members and over the months some people's confidence on the iPads has grown as well.

We are now at the stage of buying two more iPads as the four tablets (and one borrowed) are not enough for the group size of 14! It has been a success and we are often asked by visiting carers which apps we use and we tell them of AcTo. 

Thanks for this great project -  it has given the sessions so many positive outcomes.

Angie Weatherhead, Freelance Information Professional

Going forward, whilst our app reviews won't be quite as frequent as they used to be, we are hoping to share a new recommendation each month. To do this we need suggestions of what games and activities we should focus on, as we are running out of ideas! If there is a particularly kind of game or activity that you would like us to look into, please get in touch, either in the comments section of this post (below), the public forum, sending us a private message or through Twitter. We'd love to hear your ideas and if we can find an app that meets our high standards for people living with dementia, we'll post it on the site. 

AcTo Dementia researchers Phil Joddrell and Professor Arlene Astell attended the UK Dementia Congress in Brighton last week.

Phil presented an overview of the project in a session on technology and the arts in dementia care, whilst Arlene discussed this work, as well as many other experiences from her career, in the plenary Tom Kitwood Memorial Address, titled ‘Innovating in long-term care: the triumphs and challenges of trying to change practice’. Arlene also contributed as a panel member for the opening debate, ‘Should we welcome a future of robots, avatars and digital technology in dementia care?’, and presented a workshop on Adaptive Interaction.

This was the 11th UK Dementia Congress which is an annual event organised by the Journal of Dementia Care, and incorporates the National Dementia Care Awards supported by the Alzheimer’s Society.

From the official congress website:

The 11th UK Dementia Congress is the largest annual multi-disciplinary dementia-focused event and exhibition in the UK and is the best opportunity for professionals to learn from and be inspired by others’ experience, make connections and build bridges towards best practice in their own localities. 

Since the launch of the AcTo Dementia website 6 months ago, we have evaluated more than 40 different types of game or activity, reviewing over 400 apps in the process. So far we have recommended 23 apps that are the most accessible of their type for people living with dementia, encompassing a diverse range of games or activities. These have included classic board games, sports simulations, interactive art and modern puzzlers.

When taking the apps out-and-about for people with dementia and their families to test and play for fun, the most popular based on feedback are Jigty Jigsaws, Dominoes, Bubble Explode and 10 Pin Shuffle Bowling. Some of these can be enjoyed independently during those quiet times when a bit of escapist fun is needed, whereas others can be played with another person as a shared activity.

The Review Process

Our process for selecting apps involves firstly identifying the type of app that we will review, for example, dominoes or football. We then search the app store for examples of the app type and download at least ten representations of the app for review. Each of the ten apps is then analysed using our evidence-based App Evaluation Tool, which generates a score for each app based on the presence or absence of design features that have been shown to have an impact on accessibility for people living with dementia. The highest scoring app is then sent for final approval to the lead researcher, and if approved is published on the website as a recommended app.

Not all of our app evaluations lead to app recommendations, as just because an app is the highest scoring and therefore the most accessible of its type, doesn’t mean it is of sufficient quality or suitability and therefore worthy of recommendation. This is demonstrated by the fact that we have so far rejected 18 different types of app on this basis, including driving simulators, spot the difference puzzles and Chinese Checkers.

Get Involved

Suggestions for types of app to be considered for review are always welcome. Initially, our selections have been based on feedback from Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) forums, ideas suggested by staff members and service users of places visited by the research team, and the previous work of members of the research team when developing touchscreen software for people living with dementia. We encourage visitors to the website to contact us or post in the forum if they have specific types of app they would like us to review and recommend, and this will be crucial in continuing our aim to develop a catalogue of accessible apps for people living with dementia that can be browsed on our website.

The Future

Over the next six months, we have app recommendations of Sudoku, bingo, adult colouring, Scrabble and free-form painting all pending publication, and we are also intending to widen our catalogue from just gaming and activity apps to information resource, productivity and self-management apps. To stay up to date with all of this and more, follow us on Twitter @actodementia and bookmark this website (www.actodementia.com). 

Last week Apple released the latest major software update for their handheld devices range, iOS 10. This release introduces a range of new features and changes to existing apps and services, including messages, notifications, photos, music, maps and Siri. 

From Apple's website: 

"Everything you love is now even better with iOS 10, our biggest release yet. Express yourself in bold new ways in Messages. Find your route with beautifully redesigned Maps. Relive memories like never before in Photos. And use the power of Siri in more apps than ever".

iOS 10 can be installed now on compatible iPads (fourth generation and onwards, see image below for full list of devices), although not all features will necessarily be available. To find out how to upgrade to the latest software release for your iPad, follow our step-by-step guide. 

After reaching my second year of university, and still unsure as to what career path I wanted to pursue, the Think Ahead SURE scheme offered me the opportunity to gain valuable research experience. Following an application process, I was lucky enough to be selected to work with Phil Joddrell on the AcTo dementia project. The project includes a website, which suggests apps that are accessible for people with dementia and which they may enjoy playing. In order to identify such apps, a review criteria has been developed to evaluate the appropriateness of the apps, based on their customisation options and presence of advertisements among others things.

The objective of my placement was to identify at least 20 apps using this review criteria and write reviews for each of these, to be published on the AcTo Dementia website. These apps included both classic games, such as Chess and Hangman (pictured), as well as novel games including 1010 (pictured) and Stack Box. When writing the reviews, I included the pros and cons of each app and the recommended settings; for example, whether the user would be able to change the background colour and if this would improve the contrast and clarity of the game. In addition to identifying games people may enjoy, I also looked into other types of downloadable apps, such as those focused on music and cookery, to provide more variety for people visiting the website.

Alongside using the review criteria, I have also been evaluating its reliability. I have looked at the inter-rater reliability between the many people who have used these criteria, generally finding values of above 0.8, which are considered very respectable.  The end of the scheme is marked by a conference style, academic presentation for other students on the Think Ahead SURE scheme. This will be good experience, as I feel this summer has furthered my interest in postgraduate study, which would require me to deliver presentations in this style, and answer questions on the spot.

I have enjoyed my time spent working within CATCH and alongside Phil, and have found it to be very valuable, teaching me more about life as a researcher and as a PhD student. In addition, I would highly recommend the Think Ahead SURE scheme, especially to students who are unsure as to what they want to go on to do. The scheme has allowed me to better my understanding of how research is conducted, including applications for funding and ethics. Finally, I would like to thank Phil and CATCH for a great 8 weeks, and making me feel so welcome.

In the second of our world tour series, researcher Phil Joddrell took the AcTo Dementia project to Toronto, Canada for the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2016. The project was represented twice at this conference: firstly, in a poster presentation at the Technology & Dementia Professional Interest Area (PIA) preconference event on Saturday 23rd July (pictured); and secondly, in an oral presentation at the main conference on Monday 25th July. Professor Arlene Astell, another member of the AcTo Dementia research team, also featured strongly at the conference with a poster and oral presentation on other, related work. The AAIC attracted more than 4,000 attendees in 2015 so this conference offers an excellent opportunity to share our work on AcTo Dementia with researchers, clinicians and service users from around the world.

While in Toronto, both Phil and Arlene were privileged to be invited to attend and speak at the closing event of the Let’s Connect pilot project; an initiative at the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre that utilised some of the AcTo Dementia recommended apps to facilitate computer activities for people living with dementia. This event was attended by the Mayor or Oshawa, John Henry, along with other representatives from the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Oshawa and the Trillium Foundation, who provided the funding for this project (see picture).

Finally, and more informally, Phil and Arlene joined a group of friends and colleagues from around the world for dinner one evening after the conference, united by their interest in improving the lives of people with dementia. This included international dementia advocate Kate Swaffer and her husband Peter, and World Dementia Council Nigerian Chief Kikelomo Laniyonu Edwards (pictured).

Researcher Phil Joddrell attended the 15th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP) in July to present work related to the AcTo Dementia project. The conference was hosted by the Johannes Kepler University (JKU; pictured below) in the beautiful city of Linz in Austria (pictured right). The focus of the presentation was on the way in which we identify accessible apps for people living with dementia using an evidence-based framework. This was featured in a session titled Digital Games Accessibility which also included work involving people with visual impairment and cerebral palsy.

From the ICCHP website:

ICCHP focuses on Assistive Technology (AT) and eAccessibility enabling a more independent life, participation, inclusion and improved services and support for people with disabilities and older adults. By its nature, ICCHP covers a wide area of topics and has a future oriented mission.

For more information on the AcTo Dementia presentation or any of the presentations at ICCHP 2016, you can visit the conference website and download the proceedings. 

Reference

Joddrell, P., Hernandez, A. & Astell, A.J., 2016. Identifying Existing, Accessible Touchscreen Games for People Living with Dementia. In K. Miesenberger, C. Buhler, & P. Penaz, eds. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Berlin: Springer International Publishing, pp. 509–514.

The AcTo Dementia project looks at accessible touchscreen apps for people living with dementia. My role as Research Assistant has been to work with Phil Joddrell (PhD Student running the project) to finalise the analytical framework and utilise this to identify suitable apps.

Finalising the analytical framework used to evaluate the apps was an important task. The framework needed to accurately reflect the most valued aspects of the apps in its score weighting, for example an app that is ad-free with many customisation options will score higher than those without these features. During my placement I have contributed to the evaluation of the 48-item framework through the calculation of interrater reliability scores, with statistical tests show a strong alpha value between raters.

During my time with CATCH, I evaluated a range of apps including board games, card games, puzzles, sports games and art activities. The evaluation process includes identifying 10 apps of the same nature, for example 10 ‘penalty shoot-out’ games, and scoring each of them to distinguish the best app according to our framework. The highest scoring app is then reviewed and posted online for the AcTo Dementia website. However, on occasion, apps that have been identified as the highest scoring in their genre through the framework still aren’t considered suitable for recommendation, such as those in the categories ‘air hockey’, ‘tin-can knockdown’ and ‘basketball shootout’.

I have evaluated a wide range of apps, from classic games such as Gin Rummy, Draughts, Four In A Row and Dominoes to sports games such as Flick Kick Football. A personal favourite game identified and evaluated by myself is Dots (by Playdots, Inc.). This novel game (pictured) requires players to connect the coloured dots to make them disappear. This app was a particular favourite of mine due to the appealing modern aesthetics and unusual game play. I found the game to become quite addictive yet very simple to play. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working within CATCH and on the AcTo Dementia project. I have found the experience fulfilling in the knowledge that the reviewed apps might be useful for people living with dementia. Working within a research group has also proven exciting, it has bettered my understanding of what researchers do and how passionate they are about their work. The experience has left me with a keen interest in psychological research, with the hope of being involved in this work in the future.

More information about this placement scheme can be found on the University of Sheffield's On CampUS webpage.