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Dementia Lab Conference

D-Lab 2019: Dementia Lab 2019. Making Design Work: Engaging with Dementia in Context pp 101–113Cite as

Surveillance Technology in Dementia Care: Implicit Assumptions and Unresolved Tensions

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Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1117))

Abstract

This paper examines the concept of “Surveillance Technology [ST]” as it is used in ageing and dementia research but which suffers from poor definition. We attempt to clarify this imprecision by contextualizing a brief history of the development of ST and provide a summary of the research in this area. We contrast this with the responses provided by a public and patient involvement group of people living with a dementia diagnosis, or experience of supporting people with dementia. ST operates in multiple interacting ways, all of which need to be taken into account in research, public and policy debate. As a technology it is often seen as a way of assisting individuals and therefore classified as an Assistive Technology [AT]. However, the meaning of ST used in dementia care has pragmatic implications beyond the meeting of the needs for “safety and independence”; ideas which is often used to justify its use. We argue that there is need to interrogate the terms “Surveillance” and “Technology” more carefully if ST is to be considered as empowering for people with dementia. This tension is brought out in the accounts present in a group discussion on ST and its use. This paper argues that there needs to be an acknowledgement that the purposes of such technologies need to be regularly reviewed in order for society to keep up with the rapidly changing pace of technology and the changing needs of users.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Brain Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, UCL, Maple House, 6th Floor, 149. Tottenham Court Rd, London, W1T 7NF, UK

    Yvette Vermeer & Paul Higgs

  2. Faculty of Brain Sciences, Department for Clinical, Education, and Health Psychology, UCL, 1-19. Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK

    Georgina Charlesworth

  3. Interdisciplinary Network for Dementia Using Current Technology (INDUCT), London, UK

    Yvette Vermeer, Paul Higgs & Georgina Charlesworth

Authors
  1. Yvette Vermeer
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  2. Paul Higgs
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  3. Georgina Charlesworth
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Correspondence to Yvette Vermeer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Eindhoven University of Technology and Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Rens Brankaert

  2. Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Wijnand IJsselsteijn

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Vermeer, Y., Higgs, P., Charlesworth, G. (2019). Surveillance Technology in Dementia Care: Implicit Assumptions and Unresolved Tensions. In: Brankaert, R., IJsselsteijn, W. (eds) Dementia Lab 2019. Making Design Work: Engaging with Dementia in Context. D-Lab 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1117. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33540-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33540-3_10

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