Photographs, Prompts and Possibility: Deepening Human Connection in Dementia Care
Parallel 5
18 November, 2026 2:10 – 3:20 pmMini Presentations: Group 2
Louise Callin
Founder & CEO
ReelLife Conversations
Summary
Technology has become a familiar part of dementia care, yet most digital tools are designed to support documentation, compliance, monitoring and reporting. While these functions are critical, they do little to help carers in the moments that matter most – the everyday interactions that build trust, maintain identity and support meaningful connection.
This presentation explores a different vision for technology in dementia care, one that focuses not on recording care after it has happened, but on supporting better care in the moment.
Despite increasing investment in digital care technologies, relatively little attention has been paid to helping staff access and use personalised information during everyday interactions.
Drawing on insights from research, co-design, prototyping and early implementation, we will explore how personalised digital tools can place photographs, interests and conversation prompts directly into the hands of care staff, helping them create richer and more meaningful interactions with the people they support.
A photograph becomes more than an image when accompanied by simple prompts about the people, places, objects or emotions it contains. By providing immediate conversation starters, carers no longer need to rely solely on memory, experience or guesswork to find a meaningful way into an interaction.
The benefits extend beyond people living with dementia. Real-time access to personal insights can reduce pressure on staff, support colleagues who are new to a service, provide confidence for agency workers and help those for whom English is not a first language to engage more easily and effectively.
This session will demonstrate how simple, accessible technology can help shift the focus from records to relationships, supporting meaningful moments of connection while making person-centred, or even person-led care, easier to deliver in everyday practice.