The overall objective of this thesis is to make an original contribution to literature and practice on the topic of reminiscence and life story work for people living with dementia and their caregivers. These approaches are popular in practice and considered important by experts, but there is still an uncertain evidence base.
Chapter 2 is a systematic review and meta-analysis of reminiscence therapy for dementia, in which some positive but inconsistent effects of reminiscence on quality of life, communication, cognition, and depressed mood have been identified. These effects vary across intervention modality and setting.
Chapter 3 presents a qualitative exploration of user experiences of three different implementations of a digital life story work intervention. Qualitative interviews were carried out with people with dementia, family caregivers, and care staff. A thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data. All participants reported that they enjoyed the intervention, found it useful, and valued using multimedia. Limited IT skills were a significant barrier for most.
Chapter 4 is an investigation into a self-guided, app-based, digital life story work intervention using a Citizen Science approach. Data on usage, experience of individual sessions, and quality of life were collected through the app, and follow-up interviews were also carried out. Engagement with the app was very low, though it appeared to provide some enjoyment to those who used it.
In Chapter 5, the preferences of people with dementia and caregivers in relation to digital life story work were explored. Caregivers completed an online discrete choice experiment survey, and people with dementia completed a simplified online survey. A private one-toone intervention setting (rather than a community group setting) appeared to be the most important attribute to both participant groups. User IT skills emerged as an essential consideration when designing the intervention.
Chapter 6 is an evaluation of life story work touchscreen apps that are available to people with dementia and their caregivers on app repositories. Ten apps were included, and the accessibility of each app was evaluated. User reviews were carried out by people with dementia, or caregivers of people with dementia.
Chapter 7 concludes this thesis. It brings together the findings from all of the chapters, as well as identifying the implications and limitations of those findings. Directions for future research are also discussed.
The results of this thesis provide support for the use of facilitated reminiscence and digital life story work in both community and care home settings. Results contribute to learning and understanding around how ICT and different ICT systems influence the experience of life story work for people with dementia and their caregivers, in both positive and negative ways. Reminiscence and digital LSW were found to be enjoyable and meaningful for people with dementia and their caregivers, both professional and family.