By Teis Arets – 20-12-2023
Every quarter one consortium member interviews another consortium member to get to know each other member and help us to get to know the people behind the project. First off: Anne Kolmans (PhD in WP4), who was interviewed by Teis Arets (PhD in WP1).
Who is Anne? Can you tell us about your background?
“I’m Anne, 26 years old, and I come from Elshout, a beautiful village in Central Brabant. I truly feel Brabants because I grew up here and studied here. Recently, I’ve started working in Nijmegen. In April of this year, I began my PhD research at Radboud UMC.
I initially started a Bachelor’s in psychology in Tilburg in 2015. During that time, I felt I was missing the more scientific side, so I switched in the middle of the year to the Bachelor’s in Psychology & Technology at TU/e. There, I specialized in robotics and aligned my courses with healthcare, as I’ve always been drawn to it. After my bachelor’s, I faced a crossroads in my life. Eventually, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Human-Technology Interaction (HTI). However, during my part-time job as a working student at SARA Robotics, I realized that with HTI, I might not have much direct contact with people with dementia or the elderly, and I would miss that. So, I switched to a Master’s in Clinical Psychology with an internship in elderly care, and now I’m here.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
“I’ve been giving handball training to the youngest youth of SC Elshout for years. I also enjoy watching sports, with a preference for Feyenoord and Formula 1. Max Verstappen can win, but Lando Norris could win too, in my opinion. Additionally, I’m up for a concert or a party from time to time.”
Can you briefly explain what your specific PhD project focuses on?
“My PhD project focuses on the social connectedness of people with dementia. Specifically, I want to explore the social relationships of people with dementia, the stigma surrounding dementia in the Netherlands, and how we can improve social relationships. I’ll be working on this with you [Teis]. We want to co-design AI technology with people with dementia and their social network to make a meaningful contribution to their lives. That’s my goal, to make a difference.”
From which organizations do you work on the QoLEAD project?
“My base is RadboudUMC (and UKON), but through my team, I’m also affiliated with Tilburg University-Tranzo via my co-promoter and daily supervisor and with TU/e via my second promotor. I try to be in Nijmegen two days a week, and every Monday, I’m in the office in Tilburg. The rest of the time, I work from home or wherever I need to be that day.”
What attracted you to the project?
“For me, this project is the perfect combination of both my studies. Plus, I found it exciting that this project focuses on the target group I’ve always wanted to work with. This is the group where my passion lies. This project gave me the opportunity to contribute something to them. The fact that we are incorporating both artificial intelligence and the needs and psychological aspects is crucial for me. I didn’t follow a straightforward combination of studies, so this is the ideal project that combines both backgrounds. Also, it’s just a very enjoyable challenge.”
Have you worked with people with dementia during this project?
“No, not yet during the project. The project is still largely in the exploratory phase. The first study will be a questionnaire study focused on the general Dutch population, where contact has not yet been addressed. This is planned for my second study. Outside the project, I already have quite a bit of experience with people with dementia. I practically grew up in nursing homes because my mother also works in elderly care. She always took us, me and my sisters, with her from a young age, and we would help with bingo, deliver meals, and participate in Christmas celebrations. I’ve also consistently used community service opportunities to shadow in elderly care. Since I was about 14, I’ve been working part-time in elderly care, doing everything from reception, restaurant, and housekeeping to welfare worker, including on the psychogeriatric ward. Until April 2023, I also worked as a client supporter at Park Vossenberg in Kaatsheuvel [Care location of Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen].”
Based on your experience in psychogeriatric care, what value do you see in AI for people with dementia?
“I think AI can be ideal for this purpose because it can learn and easily adapt to individuals. People with dementia are still individuals, each unique. Additionally, people with dementia inevitably decline due to the progression of the condition. So, when developing something, it’s important that the technology can adapt as dementia advances. And it just offers a lot of possibilities.”
QoLEAD is built on the foundation of “Warm Technology” – can you explain in your words what this means and why it is so important for people with dementia?
“Warme Technologie, I think of technology that truly serves the user, in this case, people with dementia. For me, it means that people don’t have to adapt to the technology, but the technology is genuinely developed for their specific needs and desires. It should add value to their lives in an area that is important to them. So, not tech-push but genuinely looking from the user’s perspective. Warme Technologie is, for me, person-centered care but in the form of technology.
A lot of technology I’ve seen in healthcare was often not developed together with people with dementia, only for them. That’s why I think warme technologie is suitable for us because we genuinely want to add something to the lives of people with dementia. At the same time, I believe it’s important that we do this in consultation with them [the end-users – people with dementia] and that it is user-friendly. Because I think that’s the biggest difference: often, it’s about what people think dementia is and what people with dementia need, rather than how people with dementia see it and what they want.”
According to you, what are things that we as QoLEAD should absolutely not overlook when designing for people with dementia?
“The people with dementia.”
What advice do you have for your fellow researchers within the QoLEAD project when it comes to researching and/or developing AI for people with dementia?
“Get familiar with the target group. Have a conversation with them. See how their lives are. Of course, every person is different, but it’s good to take the time to familiarize yourself with the target group because we’re doing this for them. In my opinion, it’s also important to involve them throughout the entire process. Developing technology for people with dementia is, of course, different than for people without dementia. Get involved.”
Is there anything else you would like to share?
“I’m especially excited to really make an impact during this project, and I’m curious about where it will take us, but especially the care field. Excited for this challenge!”
Finally, who will you be interviewing in the next newsletter?
???????
“The next source of inspiration will be Dirk Steijger, PhD on WP3!”