Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how a caregiver and care recipient with dementia are supported by a home-based Voice User Interface (VUI) technology after the onset of cognitive impairment. The intent of this study was to reveal whether there were any changes in relational autonomy between caregiver and care recipient while using a VUI technology, specifically the Amazon Echo with the conversational agent Alexa. This study aimed to explore two specific aspects. First, determine the Amazon Echo’s impact on relational autonomy for both caregivers and care recipients with dementia within the home setting. Specifically, explain the relationship between relational autonomy of caregiver and care recipient with an eye towards alternative design perspectives for technology deployment in the home to support the needs of older adults with cognitive impairment. Secondly, this study also evaluated that both actors in the family system used the Amazon Alexa device, both actors in the family system gained benefits in relational autonomy and the device did not take away from the relational autonomy of both actors.