Abstract

The Radio Me project will deliver an aid for people with mild to moderate dementia (henceforth referred to as PWD) living alone in their homes, to provide memory reminders and agitation reduction.

Radio listening is most common in the age range of PWD, and mainstream radio has two parts: played music, and spoken voice by DJs. Thus, it provides an interface involving voice and music, and one that is familiar to PWD. Radio Me (RM) is a system that maps these natural voice and music elements onto integrated aids for memory and agitation. RM will enable broadcast-style radio as a mode of human-computer interaction to support PWD who live alone in their own homes. The title Radio Me refers to the system rather than the audio resulting from the real-time generative remixing.

An example of functionality is envisaged as follows: RM audio output through the speakers will, by default, sound like the live local radio. So, when the PWD switches on the radio in the morning, it initially sounds like their local station. However, at some pre-decided point (as entered into an electronic diary by PWD or their carer), and at the start of a song, a DJ-like voice seamlessly overrides the real DJ and reminds the listener to hydrate. A little later, the radio reminds the listener to eat lunch. Soon RM detects that the listener is becoming agitated (via a worn wrist-sensor). It overrides the next DJ song choice and selects a song from the user’s personal library, which is known is likely to calm them. It can keep playing calming material until it detects the user has calmed. RM can give more frequent date / time checks for the listener than a normal radio station, and remind them to take their medication, to attend a Memory Café, etc.

The project is timely because: (1) it addresses dementia, one of the UK’s major national health and care priorities; (2) it addresses the UK’s care profession crisis.