Technology that Helps with Memory Care

As the global population rises and life expectancy increases, there is also a rise in cognitive impairment and dementia, burdening families and healthcare systems.

But thanks to technological advancements, technological devices are improving the functioning, tracking, and mobility of dementia patients allowing their families to help them age in place.

As gerontechnology continues to develop and is integrated into everyday life, life has become much easier for patients, caregivers, and families.

Technology that Aids Diagnosis

Earlier, only post-mortem neuropathology was able to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia. However, with the arrival of advanced medical imaging technologies and fluid biomarkers, the development of the disease can be identified earlier.

It has become clear that at some point during the progression of dementia, neural networks are lost and excessive neurodegeneration cannot be reversed.

Hence the focus on treatment on slowing down the early stages of progression and prevention by improving health and well-being and the reduction of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Technology that Facilitates Smart Homes

Smart homes are equipped with sensors and various technical devices that facilitate the monitoring of residents to improve their quality of life, promoting physical independence and reducing caregiver burden. The home automation of appliances, temperature and lighting systems, and remote monitoring systems, caregivers can rest assured that residents are well and safe. This help seniors live more independently and safely at home, lessening the demand on caregivers.

Alexa-enabled home devices like Echo, Echo Show, and Echo Dot are available on Amazon, besides various voice-activated smart speakers sharing similar functions. Smart home devices allow users to control lights and switches, set thermostats, and view security cameras, thus automating and simplifying daily routines. These can often be adjusted remotely through a Smartphone.

The ‘Guard’ feature on Alexa mobile app sends mobile alerts if an Echo device detects the sound of breaking glass or a smoke alarm, while the ‘Hunches’ feature reminds users to turn off a light or lock a door if Alexa has a ‘hunch’ that it was forgotten. ‘Care Hub’ allows consumers with an Alexa voice assistant to link their account to a senior’s Alexa account.

In the absence of activity for a long period, emergency contact notification capability and quick access features allow Alexa ‘Calling’ or ‘Drop In’ to warn the users in time.

Sensors and Safety Technology

Locator devices

Misplacing items is a common symptom of dementia or even normal aging. Bluetooth-enabled devices such as ‘Tile’ can help locate misplaced items through the activation of an audible alarm or the last known position on the mobile app.

From a card to slip into a wallet or laptop, keychain tag or remote-control sticker, these products are designed to fit and locate commonly lost or misplaced items. Lost items in the Bluetooth range can be located with features like Tile Community and Location History. However, the Tile can be less reliable for tracking wandering seniors who have left the immediate home radius.

Smart Technology in Homes

Up to sixty percent of community-dwelling people with dementia report wanderings that are hazardous for patients and stressful for families and caregivers. Fractures caused by falls can cause disabilities and may even lead to premature death. Due to physical, functional, and cognitive impairment, the frequency of falls increases with age.

Similarly, decreased sensory abilities like smell, touch, vision, and hearing that come with aging and compromised cognition with progressive dementia can impair the capability of preventing fires or responding to such situations.

The inability to hear warning sounds of fire or a smoke alarm significantly increases the fire risk. This decrease in reaction time and awareness puts seniors at a higher risk of fire, injury, and fatality.

Below are a variety of technologies used to prevent falls and wandering outside the home, promote safer night-time ambulation, and support fire safety.

• ‘Silver Alert System’ provides a public alert system for missing and vulnerable seniors.
• Floor alarm mats send alerts in the form of audible alarms or connected to smart devices.
• Floor pressure mats when placed beside a bed, chair, doorway, exit, or the kitchen, can raise fall alarms to alert caregivers.
• Doorway anti-wander safety beams placed alongside the doorway and motion sensors embedded into socks and in floor tiles can send timely alarms to caregivers
• Floor pressure mats can be programmed to give reminders to turn off the gas when walking out of the kitchen.
• Global positioning system (GPS) shoes or inner soles help locate seniors with Alzheimer’s disease who have wandered out from home or care facilities.
• Smart lighting technology is placed in dark hallways and entryways that turn automatically on with motion sensors or via voice activation.
• Smart contact sensors act as a home security system with alerts for open doors, windows, and refrigerator doors to indicate how often a patient has accessed eatables.
• Options to self-monitor through a mobile application, smart-home system, or professional monitoring with a subscription are also available.
• Smart water-leak sensor technology is placed around areas with the most probable leaks, such as the sink, water heater, bathtub, or toilet. In an emergency, the water supply can be automatically shut off by the smart water shutoff.
• ‘Google Nest Protect’ is a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm alerting up to six contacts by voice and siren. ‘Pathlight’ feature, a motion-activated night light, is also integrated with it.
• Stove-top technologies like the smart-stove shut-off valve facilitate remote control and monitoring of stove settings and emergency shut-off systems.
• iGuard Stove facilitates automatic shut off after 5 min of no presence in the kitchen, night lock and caregiver lock modes, and day and night-time activity monitor, with alerts sent to the mobile application.

Technology for Medications

The aged are more prone to miss or forget their medications. This is particularly true for seniors with compromised functional and cognitive capabilities and multiple chronic health conditions on complex medication regimens.

Technologies currently helping with this issue include pillboxes, automatic pill dispensers, and visual or audio reminders or alarms. Automated pill dispensers have integrated alarms and reminders and the ability to manage multiple medications.

They are connectable to smartphones via applications, notifying users and also allowing remote monitoring. Applications track adherence and notify in time when certain medications are running low.

Wearable Technology

Wrist-worn devices provide information on sleep and physical activity, with advanced devices having embedded heart rate monitors and GPS, besides arrhythmia and fall detection, to aid in the care and management of seniors with dementia.

Halo from Amazon, a wearable health and wellness tracker, detects sleep and activity tracking, body fat composition, and tone of voice analysis which reports emotional states for caregivers to become more aware of the senior’s mood, interactions, and relations.

Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms, such as YouTube, are effective in delivering dementia education to seniors and their caregivers, while Twitter spreads Alzheimer-related dementia awareness.

Communication tools like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Reddit can serve as platforms for disseminating information on the care of persons with dementia, or serving as a safe space to commiserate with others going through similar challenges. There are both benefits and drawbacks to social media to weigh out and safeguard against to make the most of these tools.

Use of Artificial Intelligence or Robotic Technology

Over the years, Robots have been developed to either physically assist, help perform physical tasks, or provide social and psychological support.

• Therapeutic Robots: Increased behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia are challenging for families and caretakers to manage. Non-pharmacologic interventions, such as animal-form therapeutic robots, are facility friendly and right for those with animal allergies. PARO (comPAnion RObot), a baby harp seal robot developed in Japan as pet therapy, has shown therapeutic benefits in managing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain in patients with dementia, improving sleep, social interaction, and overall quality of life. Other such pet therapeutic robots include Ollie the baby otter, NeCoRo, a robotic lap cat, and ‘Joy for All’- a line of robotic companion pets.
• AAL project, ReMIND, aligns James, a nursing robot, with a tablet computer to encourage physical exercise and stimulate memory through music. A biography app called Keosity provides pictures of family, friends, holidays, pets, and events.
• AAL project Sense-Garden creates garden-like spaces adapted to dementia patients’ memories. It creates awareness by activating senses like touch, sight, hearing, smell, and balance. Sense-Gardens trigger memories to remind dementia patients of essential facts, social connections, and experiences, thus improving their communication with family and professional caretakers.
• Service robots assist seniors with dementia by helping to complete everyday tasks and support them socially by reducing isolation as they are equipped with video chat. Reminders to complete activities of daily living such as brushing teeth, drinking water, dressing, and taking medications are included in the services. Other service robots with functional arms to reach out for and bring items to the user are also in development.

Driverless Vehicles

Seniors driving with a compromised functional ability or reaction time or those with progressive dementia can become a danger to themselves and others while on the road. Automated vehicles have the features like providing warnings and momentary assistance during human control, impermanent support and support in steering or braking, to full automation.

Self-driving cars by General Motors, Tesla, Honda, Toyota, and so many more reflect the rapid proliferation of this technology. Such cars may help bridge health-related disparities in social and environmental factors in transportation.

The decision to adopt and integrate technology into everyday may go a long way to filling gaps in seniors’ personal care and social needs. As family caregivers struggle to balance work life, childrearing and their own challenges, having a wide range of technological tools can go a long way in caring for someone with dementia.

Assistive technology is intended to provide safety and assurance to help seniors age in place. However, there are ethical ramifications to consider when using these tools. It goes without saying that the appropriateness for these tools will vary based on the Alzheimer’s stage or cognitive abilities of an aging loved one.

In addition, the added surveillance can limit privacy and restrict movement for previously independent seniors. Similarly, wearable technology, home safety monitoring, and location devices may be considered as a breach of privacy, even if monitored by a close person. Hence, a balance of privacy versus utility is necessary when developing new technologies.

Robotic technology is another growing segment of aging technology that can help seniors age in place. Social robots’ purpose is to enhance social interaction. However, the jury is still out on whether robots are effective at replacing human interaction and reducing social isolation. The use of humanoids instead of humans to relieve caregiver burden may be subjective as well.

Robotic pets are a practical option in environments when seniors have an allergy to real animals, there are staffing shortages to care for real animals, or the animals display disruptive behaviors that put seniors or their caregivers at risk of an injury.

Conclusion

A major challenge of adopting gerontechnology among seniors includes the cost of devices, installation, and monitoring. Efficient, cost-effective distribution of this gerontechnology have an important role in alleviating the healthcare burden of caring for seniors with dementia. There needs to be more focus on providing financing options and making technologies more affordable, including for Medicare and other private insurance beneficiaries.

Lowering manufacturing costs and having insurance companies cover the costs would make the technology more reachable for consumers. Educating the public through social media to create awareness of available technologies is also essential.

Preferences and sustainability across all stages of aging and dementia are necessary to deliver high-value, needs-based, dementia-centered care.

The potential of gerontechnology to create a patient-centered care home in a safe and healthy environment for dementia patients to live independently, as is safe to do so, for as long as possible cannot be highlighted enough. Gerontechnology is a collective, interdisciplinary endeavor that can equip seniors with the resources to successfully age in place and lessen caregiver burden.