Developing Technology for People with Dementia

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Developing Technology for People with Dementia
By Arlene J. Astell, BSc, Ph.D.

Psychiatric Times November 2005 Vol. XXIII Issue 13

Home computers, personal organizers, cell phones and microwave ovens are now commonplace. We are increasing the use of technology to make our lives easier. Technology also has the potential to offer the same, or even greater, benefits to people with both physical and cognitive impairments.

People with a diagnosis of dementia experience progressive cognitive impairments that typically start with working memory problems but can encompass speech production, planning, monitoring and visuospatial difficulties as the condition advances. "Dementia ... makes a person exceptionally dependent on others: not only in the physical sense, but in a psychological sense as well" (Kitwood, 1998). Technology offers potential interventions for people with dementia to maintain their independence and maximize their retained abilities for as long as possible. This includes both practical solutions to managing the activities of everyday life and interventions geared to meeting psychological needs.