Participant observation in cognitive gameplay as a rehabilitation tool for living alone elderly with dementia in Hong Kong : a pilot study

Abstract

In Hong Kong, the population is incontestably expected to remain on an ageing trend. Longer life expectancy has resulted in a rapid increase in aging population. In 2014, more than 70,000 aged 70 and above were diagnosed as dementia patient, expecting to have a substantial increase to 250,000 in 2036. This paper discusses the role of researcher as a participant observer in conducting social research with living alone elderly with dementia who were invited to participate in four existing gameplays in a natural setting, followed by semi-structured interviews. The qualitative research revealed that most of the existing cognitive gameplay in one of the targeted day care centres were lack of awareness of universal design that may affect the effectiveness of itself. Failure in fulfilling universal design may lead up to deviation in making judgement of the patients and heighten the risk for cognitive impairment.