Verification of cognitive function preservation effect by a Shiritori game with a dialogue agent for dementia patients

Abstract

In recent years, the population is aging rapidly, and many people spend their days in nursing homes. While such services are expected to maintain cognitive functions through communication with others, it is not always possible to get enough communication on a daily basis because the long working hours of facility staff become a social problem. To relax this tough situation, dialogue agents are expected to chat with people. However, at present it is not possible to achieve satisfactory chats with people. In this study, we focus on a simpler form of dialogue, the game of Shiritori. We verify whether a game with a dialogue agent is effective for maintaining cognitive functions through a three-month WoZ experiment. Through our experiment, playing Shiritori with a dialogue agent significantly improves cognitive measures of dementia patients.