The EU-funded Dem@Care project has developed a system based on smart mobile sensors that can monitor your health parameters, your activity levels and even your emotional and cognitive status.
Improving diagnosis
Professor Philippe Robert (University Hospital in Nice, France) says: "Real-life monitoring can lead to a more accurate and more timely diagnosis of early-stage dementia: Dem@Care has already provided critical diagnostic aid reliably and accurately discriminating 82% of healthy, MCI and AD individuals."
In his hospital lab in Nice and in another lab in Thessaloniki (Greece) they are currently testing the system. Participants in lab trials are asked to perform daily living tasks such as walking and making tea, while intelligent sensing from cameras, microphones and smart objects tracks their performance.
Living independently longer
Another advantage: "Thanks to remote monitoring, we can pilot ways to enable people with early stage dementia to live independently at home for longer", says project coordinator Dr. Yiannis Kompatsiaris from the Greek Informatics and Telematics Institute of the Centre for Research and Technology (CERTH-ITI).
In Dublin (Ireland) and Thessaloniki (Greece) the Dem@Care system has already been deployed in patients' homes, some living with family caregivers and others living alone. Monitoring object and utility usage, sleep and physical activity provides in-depth and reliable information for clinicians. "By applying intelligent information sharing - or fusion - techniques, sensors can give a detailed view of your daily activities", Dr. Kompatsiaris explains.
This way, it is possible to trial tailored interventions for better quality of life. Substituting late-night TV with daily exercise outdoors as a strategy to improve sleep quality for example.
Better quality of life
"It has generally been shown that supporting the independence of persons with dementia improves their quality of life", Louise Hopper from Dublin City University adds. "The information coming from the sensors demonstrates that it is possible to use this data to support individualised psychosocial interventions. This in turn should facilitate optimised person-centred care solutions for those living at home with dementia."
Increased safety
A nursing home in Lulea (Sweden) uses the system to monitor daily life of their residents with dementia for increased safety and lifestyle feedback. Bedside, wearable, image and audio sensors measure sleep patterns, physical activity, stress and anxiety levels. This intervention focuses on achieving high levels of comfort and reducing stress through intuitive and non-obtrusive usage of the Dem@Care system, providing a reliable, easy-to-use monitoring facility for clinicians and carers.
The project:
The Dem@Care project consists of 11 academic and industrial partners from all over Europe. Since 2012, they have been working to improve differential dementia diagnosis and develop effective interventions for people with dementia in a variety of settings. Dem@Care is an EU-funded FP7 project. They will show their prototypes at their booth at the ICT 2015 exhibition in Lisbon.
Background dementia:
In 2012, dementia was characterised as a global health epidemic and a public health priority. In 2013 there were 44 million cases of dementia, projected to reach 135.5 million in 2050. Dementia has great social and also financial impacts, with its cost surpassing €540 billion in 2010 and expected to increase by 85% by 2030.
However, no effective medication has been developed to date. People with dementia start to lose their ability to live independently as their condition progresses, which forces them to withdraw from their active role in society and the workforce, and eventually require daily assistance from informal carers such as family members.