Antalet personer insjuknade i demenssjukdom stiger, från 25 miljoner år 2000 till vad som beräknas uppgå till 63 miljoner år 2030. Demens kan beskrivas som en global störning av intellektuella funktioner där den kognitiva förmågan inklusive kommunikation är påverkad. Högtekonologiska hjälpmedel som kommunikativt stöd för personer med demens är i nuläget ett outforskat område med begränsad evidens där få studier har genomförts.Syftet med föreliggande studie var att kartlägga vilka samtalsfenomen som förekom mellan en person med demens och dennes samtalspartners med och utan surfplatta med applikationen Book Creator. Ytterligare ett syfte var att undersöka en av samtalspartnernas upplevelse av att kommunicera med personen med demens. Studien genomfördes på ett boende för personer med demenssjukdom där sammanlagt nio samtal spelades in, sex samtal utan surfplatta med applikationen Book Creator och tre samtal med surfplatta med applikationen Book Creator. Materialet omfattade 2 h och 25 min och transkriberades enligt samtalsanalytiska principer med fokus på specifika samtalsfenomen. Fem fenomen identifierades; initiativtagande, gemensam grund, koherens, ofullständig gemensam grund och icke-koherens. Frekvensen av dessa förekommande fenomen kalkylerades i procent i förhållande till det totala antalet talarturer.Resultaten visade att de samtalsfenomen som inbegrep ofullständig gemensam grund och icke-koherens med en marginell skillnad förekom i mindre frekvens i samtal med applikationen Book Creator. Personen med demens tog initiativ i lika hög utsträckning i samtal med och utan applikationen och det föreföll slutligen inte föreligga några skillnader avseende gemensam grund och koherens mellan deltagarna i samtalet med respektive utan applikationen. Det kunde även urskiljas att personen med demens kunde hantera applikationen Book Creator på egen hand med visst stöd. Samtalspartnerns upplevelser av kommunikativa svårigheter hos personer med demens, strategier för att bemöta dessa och ett behov av ökad utbildning om kommunikativt bemötande ligger i linje med tidigare forskning. / The number of people who are affected by dementia is expected to increase, from 25 million in the year 2000 to approximately 63 million in the year 2030. Dementia can be described as a global disorder of intellectual functions, where the cognitive ability including communication is affected. High technological communication aids that support people with dementia in their communication are currently an underexplored area with limited evidence. The aim of the present study was to identify interactional phenomena occurring in interaction involving one person with dementia with and without a tablet with the application Book Creator. A further aim was to examine how the conversation partner experienced the communication of the person with dementia. The study was conducted in a residential care facility for people with dementia where a total of nine conversations were recorded, six conversations without the application and three conversations with the application. The material comprised 2 hours and 25 minutes and was transcribed according to Conversation Analytic principles. Five phenomena were identified: initiative, common ground, coherence, incomplete common ground and non-coherence. The frequency of occurrence of these phenomena was calculated in percentage of their occurrence in relation to total number of turns.The result in the present study indicated that the interactional phenomena involving incomplete common ground and non-coherence occurred in a reduced frequency in conversations with the application Book Creator. The person with dementia took the initiative to the same extent in interactions with and without the application. There appeared to be no differences regarding common ground and coherence between the participants in the conversation with and without the application. The analysis also revealed that the person with dementia could handle the tablet with the application Book Creator on her own with some support. The results are in accordance with research regarding communicative difficulties in people with dementia, strategies to address these difficulties and the need of increased training in communicative treatment in dementia.

With the introduction of technology, our existence became different. Today we use technology for every aspect of our lives. We can study, work, communicate, and entertain ourselves. We find it very convenient to communicate via e-mail, text messaging, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, and Snapchat to connect with people in work, school, social and familial networks. Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed that Facebook's new mission is to "bring the world closer together" (Zuckerberg, 2017). The means of accomplishing that is through technological communication. According to research on close relationships and the use of technology as a way of communication, "mobile phone-based channels had stronger associations with friendship closeness" (Liu & Yang, 2016). However, it is also possible that something essential is lost in these electronic interactions. It is possible that both the value and meaning of the interaction changes when using technology rather than human communication. The primary purpose of this research was a) to examine whether technology use makes people feel more connected to others or lonelier, b) to discover how relationships are affected by online communication, particularly as it relates to satisfaction or closeness, and c) to see if people's personalities play a role in their technology use. It is essential to continue to expand and explore this research. Technology continues to develop and change at an increasingly fast rate. The impact of how we use and interact with this dynamic product can only be fully understood through continued examination and research.