What Constitutes Ethical Use of Innovative Technologies for Dementia Care?
A. Flynn, D. Anantharaman, J. Liddle, T. Vandemeulebroucke, W.Q. Koh.
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AbstractBACKGROUND: In residential care, innovative technology like robotic pets and virtual reality is reinventing dementia care to support psychosocial wellbeing. Despite increasing interest in their use [1,2], their use has raised ethical concerns in dementia care [3]. Much of existing debates have excluded the perspectives of end users, including people with lived experience of dementia, their family members and residential aged care staff [4]. PURPOSE: This study aims to include the voices of end users and understand their ethical perceptions of what constitutes ethical use of innovative technology. METHOD: At the outset of this research, an Advisory Panel involving 4 advisors with lived experience of dementia was established. The Advisory Panel was consulted to establish research methods and data collection procedure. A qualitative study was conducted, using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Five in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted with people living with dementia, their family members, and residential care staff. Discussions were guided by videos of ethical vignettes which depicted a series of ethical dilemmas when using innovative technology. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed with the multidisciplinary research team. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Twenty-one participants were recruited, including 9 family members, 7 people living with dementia, and 6 aged care staff. Data analysis is ongoing; preliminary analysis demonstrates that participants' ethical reasoning was similar regardless of their demographics. Participants' reasoning on what constituted ethical technology use included weighing perceived benefits against status quo, and providing people with dementia choice, control and autonomy. Findings will inform policy and practice for ethical implementation of technology in dementia care and in next-generation residential care approaches.Keywords: innovative technology, virtual reality, pet robots, ethics, dementia, residential care, aged care
A. Flynn, D. Anantharaman, J. Liddle, T. Vandemeulebroucke, W.Q. Koh. (2026). What Constitutes Ethical Use of Innovative Technologies for Dementia Care?. Gerontechnology, 25(2), 1-10
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2026.25.2.1405.3