New eye-tracking tech to assist older dementia patients

Researchers at the Caring Futures Institute (CFI) at South Australia’s Flinders University are using eye-tracking technology to drive improvements in line with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s recommendations.

The eye-tracking technology for older people living with dementia in residential aged care facilities will improve the online assessment tools to enable wider collection of self-reported quality-of-care and quality-of-life information from older people, according to senior research fellow Dr Rachel Milte in an article published in Quality of Life Research.

The research group has also developed two assessment tools, the Quality of Life – Aged Care Consumers (QOL-ACC) and the Quality of Care Experience – Aged Care Consumers (QCE-ACC), which are being used across the sector.

“Older adults living with a diagnosis of dementia in residential care can find it challenging to respond to traditional text-based questionnaires to rate the quality of life and quality of care they receive.

“By using eye-tracking technology we can collect crucial information about how older people with dementia read and respond to questionnaires, helping to understand how we can better design and adapt these for their needs.”

In the study, researchers asked 41 residents who ranged from having ‘no’ to ‘mild or moderate’ cognitive impairment to complete a quality-of-life survey while sitting at a computer installed with eye-tracking technology.

In real time, the technology records where participants focus their eye gaze while completing the questionnaire, the text they read and don’t read, and parts of the questionnaire they spend the most time looking at.

“This information helps us to design questionnaires which are easier for older people to complete, as well as understand whether they are reading all the key information to give high-quality data for use in assessing quality of care in residential aged care homes.”

Milte and her colleague Dr Jyoti Khadka are expanding this research program with funding from an Australian Association of Gerontology Strategic Innovation Grant, to maximise “… self-completion of questionnaires and reduce the need to rely on proxy assessments by family members or close friends, which will support the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program.”

“We know from research in the disability sector and aphasia (language disorder) research that people with communication difficulties can self-report their own quality of life, if instruments are tailored to their needs and abilities,” Khadka said.

The research will develop quality assessment tools that support the inclusion of self-reported quality-of-life and quality-of-care data from people living with dementia.

Image caption: Dr Rachel Milte. Image credit: Flinders University.