Example Dialogue
mindminder's content is based around a combination of structured assessment/evaluation questions and personalised content to provide a varied, stimulating, and interactive dialogue. Predefined content is variable so that users have a variety of potential themes to engage with whilst multiple different personalised elements such as anecdotes can be supplied to give the widest possible range of different conversations.
Explanations of each of these aspects is explained below (click on the coloured bars to find out more)
Note that although the bases for mindminder's assessment questions are clinically recognised assessment tools, at present, mindminder is in a pilot phase and assessment questions have not been clinically validated for use in direct dementia diagnosis.
As such, mindminder is an aid to diagnosis but must not be used without clinical intervention for making medical diagnosis decisions.
mindminder derives its Dementia Assessment content from the most prominent dementia assessment frameworks.
- Six Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT)
- Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III)
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)
- Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT)
- General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) Score
Unlike the traditional exam-based Dementia evaluation approach, mindminder's approach delivers small amounts of assessment over a longer period of time, perhaps a couple of questions in every conversation. By doing this, a much more realistic indication of a User's cognitive capability can be assimilated without the influences of a "having a bad day" or the stress of the assessment approach itself having a negative influence over the eventual results.
Although focused on Dementia assessment, mindminder also includes optional Anxiety and Depression assessment modules which provide scoring against the following assessment tools;
- PHQ-9 Depression Test Questionnaire
- GAD7 Anxiety Test Questionnaire
As such, mindminder can be used in care settings where other mental health issues may be of concern, for example in drug or physical rehabilitation scenarios where Users are at risk of developing symptoms, or where regular monitoring of improvements may be required.
In addition to this, "Inspiration" quotes can also be included to sign-off with a motivating statement or quote to leave the dialogue with a positive sign-off. In cases where Users may have suicidal or self-harm thoughts such quotes may provide uplifting stimulation and reduce risk of harm.
Within mindminder's personalised content, reminders and prompts to carry out tasks can be set by Carers or family members.
Aspects such as drinking fluids regularly, doing a form of exercise, brushing teeth, or even putting the bins out. mindminder can therefore provide an in-home support to improve the quality of health and welfare whilst supporting and prolonging independent living.
This feature can provide a better insight into a user's welfare, with tracking of a User's diet and independence, to inform familial or domiciliary care arrangements; making care visits more prepared, with better scheduling, and with opportunity to tailor care arrangements into a more effective and efficient schedule and focus.
Each reminder task can be associated with a timed follow-up so that an initial prompt to, for example lock up for the night, is revisited a short while later with a request to confirm that the task was carried out. mindminder is not a substitute for personally delivered reminders for important tasks but with the ability the embed more routine tasks into dialogue with a user an overall improvement in wellbeing, welfare and independence could be achieved.
To keep the dialogue with a User stimulating and engaging for a User, minminder's conversational content can be customised to include familiar reminders and personalised narrative. For example reminders about a User's past career, relationships, events and experiences or even reminders of a favourite food or place can be created by Carers or family members.
This content engages a User with a more dynamic conversation, provides personal reflection and emotional stimulation, and is intended to move an otherwise passive lifestyle into one where a sense of self-awareness and emotional reassurance around the conversations can be developed.
A mindminder conversation can be fully customised in terms of personalised content, balance of question and anecdote types, and schedule.
For example mindminder can ask about what a User last had to eat in the morning, when it's important they are living independently, while questioning during the day can focus on formally-derived Dementia assessment questions, whereas in the evening the dialogue can be biased more towards familiar memories and anecdotes.
In the simplified example below, for our User "Arthur", only 6 conversational elements are selected but a dialogue could consist of up to 20 elements structured, but with variance in the ordering and frequency, around Diet, Emotional State, Anxiety/Depression, Dementia Assessment questions, Interesting general knowledge facts and jokes, personalised facts/reminders/memories and anecdotes, inspiring quotes and other content.
mindminder is typically always active; normally mindminder presents a clock face to a user to provide orientation with time of day, routine, and sleep patterns.
On the basis of a Carer-defined schedule, mindminder will revert from it's clock-face to the conversation presentation screen and conversation will commence.
:
Good morning Arthur, I hope you are well. Do you mind if we have a quick chat? Say "yes" to continue.
Arthur: Yes
:
That's great news. I'll ask you a few questions now. You can always say STOP at any time.
1: Do you mind if I ask what you last had to eat?
Arthur: Beans on Toast
In this section of dialogue, the question about Arthur's last meal (1) is optional. The phrasing is contained within mindminder but the question is enabled and scheduled (for example mid-morning and mid-evening) by the Carer or family member.
:
2: I’m going to read out three items and I would like you to state what the items were back to me if you can.
LEMON, KEY, BALL.
Now what were those three items. Say the first item now.
Arthur: Lemon
...And now the second item
Arthur: Key
...And finally the third item.
Arthur: Ball
In this section of dialogue, the Carer enabled a Dementia Assessment question (2). This question is based on short-term memory. The answers provided by Arthur are recorded by mindminder and can be tracked and monitored to determine any decline in mental capability over time.
3: Do you remember seeing the King's Coronation. Didn't he look smart. You watched it at home with Jo and the boys and they made a crown for you out of cardboard.
4: Now let's just discuss your feelings for a moment. Can you just answer YES or NO to the next few words. If you feel like the word say YES or if you don't feel that way say NO. OK here we go.
Do you feel Tired?
Arthur: No
...and would you say you feel Loved?
Arthur: Yes
...Do you feel Hungry?
Arthur: Yes
Here, a personalised anecdote (3) supplied by Carers or family members was enabled, followed by scheduling of a question about Arthur's mental wellbeing (4). Again, the three answers given by Arthur are stored and available in the mindminder Carer dashboards
5: Don't forget to drink a glass of water.
6: And before I go I just wanted to remind you that the girls and Robin are all so proud of you looking after yourself so well.
Have a great morning and perhaps we can speak later.
Goodbye from mindminder.
In the final segment of the conversation, a Carer-provided reminder (5) was enabled, followed by a further customised Inspiration quote (6) that is applied as part of the final phase of the mndminder dialogue. Hopefully Arthur feels engaged, loved and has a renewed confidence in his independence and also feels a sense of positive engagement with his family.