Improve the quality of life for people living with dementia

The challenge

Ninety-seven per cent of People Living with Dementia (PLwD) will develop at least one behavioural or psychological symptom, e.g., depression, over a five-year period. Non-Pharmacological Interventions (NPI), e.g., multisensory therapy, has been developed to alleviate these symptoms for PLwD in nursing homes. Since each person living with dementia is unique in terms of their preferences and life experiences, the current NPI should be personalized.

The solution

With the development of Internet of Things (IoT), more types of personal data can be collected, which enables designers to understand more about the current state of each PLwD and the context of dementia care in a nursing home. This understanding is important for developing NPI, and the data collected could facilitate the evaluation of the developed NPI. IoT also offers the opportunity for designers to develop intelligent NPI, which could automate the personalization process by, for instance, changing its behaviours based on which PLwD it interacts.