Implementing Monitoring and Technological Interventions in Smart Homes for People with Dementia - Case Studies

This chapter is about the application of behaviour monitoring technology in the context of a smart home for people with dementia. It is not about the design of technology, but about the application and configuration of existing technology in a specific context: in this case, smart flats for people with dementia in London and Bristol. Technology was installed and evaluated in a year long evaluation in London by a resident tenant. He was assessed throughout his tenancy using standardized outcome measures, by clinical professionals; and through the analysis of data collected by sensors installed in his flat. It was demonstrated that the technology had a positive impact on his life, improving his sleep in particular. This improvement had a positive effect on many other aspects of his life in the extra care setting where he lived. The Bristol evaluation is in progress. It is also an evaluation of smart home technology embedded in a person’s own home. This chapter also describes two technologies being developed at the University of Toronto, in Canada. The first is COACH, a system used for the guidance of for the guidance of activities of daily living, and the second is HELPER, a fall detection and personal emergency response system (PERS). These technologies operate autonomously with little or no explicit input from the person using them, making them extremely intuitive and effortless to use. Practical experience and clinical results gained from the latest efficacy trials with COACH are presented and discussed. From the data collected though these trials, it seems that COACH has a positive effect on peoples’ ability to independently complete the activity of handwashing. It is hoped that monitoring technologies such as these will improve the independence and quality of life for people with dementia.