CIRCA-ON: Promoting social connection between people with dementia and caregivers

An older man and woman smiling into a phone

Award Date: 2021

Project Lead(s): Arlene Astell, Research Chair at University of Toronto

Project Title: CIRCA-ON: Promoting social connection between people with dementia and caregivers

CIRCA is a multimedia conversation support for people living with dementia and caregivers aimed at reducing the negative impact of physical distancing and lockdowns. Originally developed in the UK, this project will customize CIRCA for the Ontario population to create CIRCA-ON. With a multimedia database of photographs, music, and videoclips, CIRCA makes it easy to have face-to-face interactions. The simple CIRCA interface was developed in partnership with people living with dementia to be accessible for individuals with no technology experience. CIRCA can be loaded with content for different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.