Dementia is a neurological disease that affects memory, thinking, language, orientation, behavior, and the ability to carry out life as usual. According to the World Health Organization, around 55 million people worldwide have dementia. As the proportion of older people in the population is increasing in nearly every country, this number is expected to rise to 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.
Currently, there is no cure for dementia, although a lot of funding and research is going into finding one. Instead, treatment, therapy, and healthcare software and hardware help people live with dementia. There has been an increase in support from various government organizations, which gave a boost to the market growth in this niche. Currently, the global dementia care products market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% between 2023 to 2032.
Some of the tools used for dementia care are simple and widespread: NHS reports that iPads and Alexa (a voice assistant) significantly increase the quality of life for people suffering from dementia by making their lives more social and less challenging. Care providers said devices helped patients manage medication and get health information, provided online support and the ability to socialize. Other dementia management products include memory exercise and activity products, daily reminder products, bathroom safety products, dining aids, communication products, personal safety products, special clothing, etc. More complex technology assists families and caregivers and helps patients to perform everyday activities and live safely. These are the most important examples of such technology:
Telecare
Telecare is a type of assistive technology that is often used for people with dementia. Telecare uses a combination of alarms, sensors, wearables and other equipment to help people do various tasks and live more or less independently. Telecare monitors the activity changes over time and makes a call for help in emergency situations. A call can be either triggered by a person or automatic, depending on the type of telecare system.
People with dementia suffer from memory loss and a very short attention span, so in their case, telecare can alarm if a front door has been left open or if the bath is overflowing. It will also detect carbon monoxide, and smoke, if there is a rapid rise or drop in temperature or if someone has fallen. This is extremely helpful for people with dementia and their caregivers. In some countries, telecare technology is available for free through councils. In all cases, you can also purchase telecare systems privately.
In the UK, this has been taken one step further. National Health Survive (NHS) created what is called Technology Integrated Health Management (TIHM) which makes use of the Internet of Things to keep patients with dementia at their homes for longer. For this program, individuals and their carers are provided with sensors, wearables, monitors and other devices, which will combine into an ‘Internet of Things to monitor their health at home. The information from these devices helps people manage their condition, while health insights and alerts enable medical staff to react in time in case the condition is getting worse.
24 hours monitoring devices
Disorientation is one of the most dangerous symptoms of dementia. A person can wander off at any point and find themself lost or in the middle of a dangerous situation. To prevent that from happening, plenty of location 24-hour monitoring devices have been developed that track the ones who tend to wander off. Some of them are:
AngelSense
AngelSense isn’t just for people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. It’s also for kids or anyone in need of a constant watch. The tool provides caregivers with a comprehensive view of the user’s activities, provides a daily timeline of locations, and sends an instant alert if an unfamiliar place is detected or if the user hasn’t shown up for an appointment that was scheduled. Caregivers can also listen to what is happening around the person with dementia and communicate with them through the device. The device attaches to the person’s clothing and can only be removed by the person who attached it, not the user herself.
GPS Smart Sole
A clever device, the GPS Smart Sole fits into most shoes. From there, it tracks the person’s location and the show’s in on the caregiver’s smartphone, tablet or web browser. The device is obviously powered by GPS technology and allows real-time syncing. The caregiver can choose a safe radius for the user to wander within. The caregiver also receives a detailed report of the user’s location history.
Mdoloris
Mdoloris is a company specializing in medical pain monitoring technologies that has recently unveiled a non-invasive monitoring bracelet for people with dementia. Unlike other bracelets, this one tracks well-being and pain range and shares data with caregivers, family, and medical specialists in real time. Caregivers can also set automatic alarms if a patient’s comfort drops below a certain range. To track and display the patient’s pain and comfort levels, the bracelet uses signals from the nervous system. Previously, similar technology has been only used in hospitals.
Mobile assistive apps
Recently, apps that help activities of daily living, memory, and safety have been developed and tested extensively. Extensive research has shown that mobile assistive apps improve the quality of life of people living with dementia, help them relax and deal better with their condition. Apps aim to assist people in completing tasks and making their lives more independent. The top apps in the market are:
Dementia Digital Diary
Dementia Diary/Clock provides a clock display with events that are remotely configurable using any shared calendar. This seems simple, but it helps people with dementia trust their caregiver and relax instead of trying to keep everything in their heads. They don’t have to ask the same questions all the time and can just look at the Diary to calm their nerves.
Medisafe
Living with dementia involves taking a lot of regular medication, which can be a challenge if you forget everyday tasks. Medisafe sends users personalized reminders for medications. Crucially, it also sends drug interaction warnings. The app also sends real-time missed medication alerts to caregivers.
MyTherapy
My therapy is another popular pill reminder and medication tracking app. It also sends reminders to caregivers and creates reports of the user’s process which can be later shown to the doctor. MyTherapy is an app which is free for everyone.
Constant Therapy
Constant Therapy is an app that aims to slow down the progress of dementia by providing cognitive, language, and speech exercises at home. Customized programs allow users to practice remembering, speaking, problem-solving or other skills, depending on the problem the user is already experiencing. Workouts are automatically adjusted to the user’s level as they progress. That way the user is constantly staying challenged without being demotivated.
Final words
The market for dementia healthcare software will continue to grow as the demand for it grows naturally with time. Along with this, the number of companies willing to develop and invest in dementia care products increases. The growth of smartphone users even among the oldest populations and the increase in online sales make this trend even more apparent. Finally, the growing awareness of dementia as a problem one can live with withdraws attention to management tools that don’t aim to cure it but help people with dementia and their loved ones take back control and live to the fullest.
