A Study of Quantifying Skills of Caregivers Touch to People with Dementia

As the global aging population grows so has the need for a care model for the elderly with dementia. Yet, despite this growing urgency, there is currently no established care model for elderly dementia sufferers. Recently, care technology known as 'humanitude', which is shown to be effective for dementia patients, has been attracting increased attention. This technique is empirical. This study focuses on utilizing biosignals to quantitatively evaluate and understand human touch using the humanitude care methodology, for the key purposes of establishing a care model for dementia patients. The present study first investigated the tendencies of biosignals induced by touch in two experiments, and a confirmation experiment. In Experiment 1, the biosignals induced by auditory and visual stimuli were measured. The uniqueness of biosignals induced by non-painful touch with 'non-discomfort' body parts (shoulders, upper arms, back) was examined. In Experiment 2, each participant was touched under a series of conditions. From the results obtained in the visual experiments, it is presumed that EDA response is mainly caused by the surprise emotion. In Experiment 3, a hypothetical evidence experiment was performed with Conditions 5 and 6, in addition to touch Conditions 1-4 [Eyes: Open, Closed: Yes, No]. In summary, it is presumed that the surprise emotion is strongly related to the EDA response of the present experimental results. EDA responses to potential pain were also confirmed. We plan to propose better methods of touch for caregivers based on the findings from biosignal evaluations and surveys conducted in this study.