Decoding the Language of Care: A Typology of Caregiver Utterances and Their Influence on Assistive Technology Use

Takeru Komori, Dai Sakuma, Dai Sakuma, Miki Saijo, Takumi Ohashi

2023

Abstract

Amid a global caregiver shortage and a growing reliance on assistive technology, this research investigates the intricate interactions between caregivers and care recipients in elder care settings, primarily focusing on caregivers’ verbal utterances and the conditions under which these exchanges occur. Drawing on Weiner’s causal attribution theory, we developed a typology of caregiver utterances that prompt shifts in care recipients’ attributions during the use of assistive technology. This typology—comprised of ’praise’, ’affirmation /acceptance’, ’confirmation’, and ’feedback’ categories—illuminates key links between caregiver communication strategies and care recipients’ perception shifts. Notably, ’confirmation’ utterances tend to align with attributions to ’ability’, whereas ’feedback’ utterances correspond more closely with ’effort’. Our analysis of temporal fluctuations revealed significant changes in the frequency of these utterances throughout various stages of assistive technology usage. By offering a holistic understanding of these complex dynamics, this study seeks to shape the development of more effective caregiver communication strategies. Such enhancements are pivotal to optimize care recipients’ experiences and engagement with assistive technology, thus addressing the ongoing caregiver deficit. Future research endeavors will expand our dataset and examine the potential generalizability of our findings to other caregiving environments.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Komori T., Sakuma D., Saijo M. and Ohashi T. (2023). Decoding the Language of Care: A Typology of Caregiver Utterances and Their Influence on Assistive Technology Use. In Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 3: KMIS; ISBN 978-989-758-671-2, SciTePress, pages 286-293. DOI: 10.5220/0012234800003598

in Bibtex Style

@conference{kmis23,
author={Takeru Komori and Dai Sakuma and Miki Saijo and Takumi Ohashi},
title={Decoding the Language of Care: A Typology of Caregiver Utterances and Their Influence on Assistive Technology Use},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 3: KMIS},
year={2023},
pages={286-293},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0012234800003598},
isbn={978-989-758-671-2},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 15th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management - Volume 3: KMIS
TI - Decoding the Language of Care: A Typology of Caregiver Utterances and Their Influence on Assistive Technology Use
SN - 978-989-758-671-2
AU - Komori T.
AU - Sakuma D.
AU - Saijo M.
AU - Ohashi T.
PY - 2023
SP - 286
EP - 293
DO - 10.5220/0012234800003598
PB - SciTePress