Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technologies hold significant promise to support the independence,
well-being and safety of older adults living with frailty or
dementia at home. However, further studies are needed to
identify: 1) valuable scenarios of support, 2) desired interactive
features, and 3) key challenges preventing long-term adoption
and utility in dementia care. In this paper, we explore the
role of conversational technology in ageing and dementia care
at home. Using a community-based participatory approach, we
engaged 20 stakeholders, including people with lived experience
of dementia and frailty, to understand preferences, perceived
benefits and concerns about integrating conversational AI
into daily routines at home. We uncovered key roles of the
technology, including support of daily functions, health monitoring, risk mitigation, and cognitive stimulation. We emphasize
the need for adapting interactions to different levels of user
familiarity and progression of cognitive decline. We address
the importance of the communication style and suggest careful
use of open-ended questions with target populations. We further
discuss feasibility considerations to overcome current barriers
to adoption. Overall, this work proposes design guidelines to
shape the future conceptualization and development of natural
language interactions to support dementia care at home.