Assistive technologies

The goals of the use of assistive technology in dementia encompass maintenance of a healthy and safe environment, support of people with dementia in activities of daily living, reduction of stress and burden of informal caregivers, improvement of quality of life and postponement of institutionalization. The types of technologies available for people with dementia include safety devices (e. g. alarms, flood detectors, fall sensors, person tracking), memory aids (e. g. reminders, voice prompts), social and interaction instruments (e. g. communication aids, artificial companions), everyday task-supporting devices (e. g. toilet assistance), therapeutic technologies (cognitive and memory training, physical exercise), leisure activities-supporting tools (e g. creativity programs), educational programs for professionals (e. g. internet-based education) and care delivery devices (e. g. telecare, telehealth). A currently rapidly evolving field is that of virtual reality and augmented reality devices. Different types of technology address the needs of people at different stages of dementia. Memory and safety aids are most often employed at pre-dementia stages or at the stage of early dementia. Devices supporting informal or formal caregivers are useful at the stages of moderate to severe dementia.

The majority of the relatively small studies that have assessed the efficacy of assistive technologies tested devices that support day-to-day living activities, safety monitoring and healthcare (e.g. locator devices, automatic medication dispensers, automatic lighting, simplified mobile phones). There is strong evidence for the benefits of night monitoring devices (bed exit alarms, alarm systems, tracking devices, automatic nightlights) with regard to falls at home and unattended exit reduction. Despite the rapid progress of robot-mediated interventions, questions regarding best practices and a consensual ethical framework in this field remain open, while their financial and organizational influence has rarely been addressed. Thus, further research is urgently needed, so that light can be shed to the indications, implementation, factor encouraging acceptance, logistic requirements, required resources, and ethical issues pertaining to robotic interventions.