Assistive Technology for People Living with Alzheimer's Disease
02/07/10 19:43 Filed in: Alzheimer's disease research
Technology for People Living with Dementia
Euronews.netThe Europeans are facing the same dramatic increase in Alzheimer’s disease patients as in the United States. This story is interesting because it details a technology oriented approach to long term quality of life from a perspective other than pharmacology.
“According to Alzhemer Europe, at least 5.7 million Europeans between the ages of 40 and 80 suffer from dementia or Parkinson’s disease. For them, despite on-going research, there is still no cure.
70% of patients with advanced dementia receive care in nursing homes and specialized centres. But as our society ages it is expected that 10 million new cases of dementia and Parkinson’s will be diagnosed in the next 40 years. This makes it increasingly important for scientists to find technologies to help people living with these diseases.
The first part of the Rosetta Project, near Frankfurt in Germany, aims to develop assisted and intelligent environments, able to raise the alarm if the inhabitants’ behaviour changes drastically. One development is the Early Detection System, which raises an alarm if a person’s actions are potentially dangerous.
This technology can also be used in nursing homes. It does not completely invade a person’s privacy because it does not record pictures or sounds, but simply tracks and analyses a person’s position in their home.
Elizabeth Athmer-Aghina, a retired teacher, is still living living at home although she is 85 and has Parkinson’s Disease. She stays in daily contact with her grandchildren via the web. Sensors around her home track her behaviour and send data to a remote centre, which makes her feel less vulnerable. She said, “Once I lay on the floor next to my bed for 3 hours, but now I feel safer. I am not afraid, wondering how long I would have to lie there if I fell over again. Someone would arrive immediately if the alarm went off. So I don’t feel alone any more.”” VIEW THE VIDEO AND READ THE STORY
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