Smart Living for Dementia SufferersDementia, the most common form being Alzheimer’s, is a growing problem in the UK as the population ages. One of the symptoms is memory loss, for example forgetting to turn of taps or leaving cookers turned on. Other symptoms include confusion and a tendency to wander aimlessly.
As part of a project looking into helping sufferers remain in their own homes for as long as possible, instead of being forced to go into full time constant care, a flat within a Sheltered Housing Scheme in Bristol has been converted into a prototype ‘Smart Home’ by APH Ltd. Being able to live in their own flat gives the occupant their own space, allows them to retain most of their independence, gives them privacy and upholds their dignity.
 APH Ltd are by no means knowledgeable in the field of dementia, but through the guidance of experts and medical professionals we have been able to tailor an intelligent design to suit the requirements of the occupant of the flat.
The flat uses smart technology to monitor the occupants activity and sounds a warning when it thinks there may be a problem. Special sensors have been fitted into the flat that can tell, for example, if the front door is being opened at night. Patients often become confused and can end up wandering around at all hours.
In this particular flat, wireless light switches, motion detectors, speakers and a voice messaging system have been installed. Coercive messages pre-recorded by the occupants family are then played when appropriate. The smart technology in the flat provides the following functions: Front door sensor to detect if the door is opened at an inappropriate time (for example in the middle of the night). A pre-recorded message is activated and will advise the occupant not to leave the flat and to go back inside. If the door does not close, a message will be issued to the on-call Warden via an interface to their monitoring system. Bed Occupancy – a motion sensor detects if the occupant gets out of bed at an inappropriate time and starts to ‘wander’ - a pre-recorded message will advise the occupant to go back to bed and the lights will be turned on immediately. The Warden is notified via their monitoring system of the occupants ‘restlessness’. Motion detectors throughout the flat monitor movement – if the lights are left switched on and no movement is detected after a given time, the lights will automatically be turned off. For example if the occupant goes to the bathroom and then forgets to turn the lights off when they return to bed, after a set period of time with no movement detected the lights will be turned off automatically. The Smoke/Heat Detector will be activated if the cooker or hob is left on and food is found to be burning. In such an event a pre-recorded message will advise the occupant to return to the kitchen and switch it off. If no response is received, a message will be issued to the on-call Warden via an interface to their monitoring system and the cooker’s electrical supply terminated. Only the Warden can re-instate the supply when they are sure the occupant is safe.
The Housing Scheme and Wardens involved say that this was an exciting development for them, and reports show that everything is running smoothly. They are confident that the assistive smart technology installed in the flat will improve the quality of life for the residents.
It is expected that a White Paper will be presented to the House of Commons endorsing increased use of this technology as not only does it directly benefit the level of wellbeing for the resident, but early studies show that there are obvious financial savings in reducing the long term assisted care needs of such sufferers. |
