Background Research
Today more than 10 million people live with dementia in Europe. According to statistics, 5% of people over the age of 65 suffered from a type of dementia.
It affects 50 million people around the world, nearly 60% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Each year, there are nearly 10 million new cases. It is estimated that between 5 and 8% of people aged 60 and over live with dementia. The total number of people with dementia is expected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million by 2050.
Dementia has important social and economic consequences in terms of direct medical costs, social costs and costs incurred for informal care. In 2015, the total societal cost of dementia worldwide was estimated at $ 818 billion US dollars, which is the equivalent of 1.1% of global gross domestic product (GDP).
- a designed aluminium lamp
- a DIY wooden coat rack
- a board game for children
- a DIY wooden coat rack
- a board game for children
Family can be deeply affected by dementia. It is challenging for the relatives and for the people who provide care.
Physical, psychological and economic pressures can weigh heavily. Caring for someone living with dementia often involves several people. Caregivers, whether they provide daily caregiving, participate in decision making, or simply care about a person, might find themselves with so many responsibilities and overwhelm by tasks. It is common for caregivers to have feelings of loss, grief, and guilt as the disease progresses. This usually leads to severe stress, anxiety and sometimes depression.
Paradoxically, the best thing a caregiver can do for his loved one is to stay physically and emotionally strong because there is the primary and most important support for people living with dementia.
Physical, psychological and economic pressures can weigh heavily. Caring for someone living with dementia often involves several people. Caregivers, whether they provide daily caregiving, participate in decision making, or simply care about a person, might find themselves with so many responsibilities and overwhelm by tasks. It is common for caregivers to have feelings of loss, grief, and guilt as the disease progresses. This usually leads to severe stress, anxiety and sometimes depression.
Paradoxically, the best thing a caregiver can do for his loved one is to stay physically and emotionally strong because there is the primary and most important support for people living with dementia.
Each person will experience their journey differently. The progression of dementia depends on several factors such as symptoms, life experience, care and social interaction.
Insights
Dementia affects the identity and the subjectivity of people, which is the reason why the journey is unpredictable, and non-quantifiable. Seeing the person has a human being, with specific past experience, individual desires, different likes and taste, is the most fundamental aspect to consider while designing for dementia.
Currently, the healthcare system is gathering existing and previous data in order to give the most appropriate care to people. It sees people as compliant data sources. Nonetheless, we can’t tackle a disease that alters the deep end of identity and subjectivity by using a cloud of generalized information.
The dementia journey is experienced differently by every person, caregivers included. In order to give the best care possible, we should apply a bottom-up approach. We have to look at dementia as a puzzle whose end is not predictable. Each piece is important, even the smallest details, and each person can add a valuable piece to the puzzle.
If we apply this approach to dementia care, those close to the person living with dementia will be able to add helpful information to create a subjective and personalized body of knowledge for a specific person while the disease progresses
The dementia journey is experienced differently by every person, caregivers included. In order to give the best care possible, we should apply a bottom-up approach. We have to look at dementia as a puzzle whose end is not predictable. Each piece is important, even the smallest details, and each person can add a valuable piece to the puzzle.
If we apply this approach to dementia care, those close to the person living with dementia will be able to add helpful information to create a subjective and personalized body of knowledge for a specific person while the disease progresses
Family can be deeply affected by dementia. It is challenging for the relatives and for the people who provide care.
Physical, psychological and economic pressures can weigh heavily. Caring for someone living with dementia often involves several people. Caregivers, whether they provide daily caregiving, participate in decision making, or simply care about a person, might find themselves with so many responsibilities and overwhelm by tasks. It is common for caregivers to have feelings of loss, grief, and guilt as the disease progresses. This usually leads to severe stress, anxiety and sometimes depression.
Paradoxically, the best thing a caregiver can do for his loved one is to stay physically and emotionally strong because there is the primary and most important support for people living with dementia.
Physical, psychological and economic pressures can weigh heavily. Caring for someone living with dementia often involves several people. Caregivers, whether they provide daily caregiving, participate in decision making, or simply care about a person, might find themselves with so many responsibilities and overwhelm by tasks. It is common for caregivers to have feelings of loss, grief, and guilt as the disease progresses. This usually leads to severe stress, anxiety and sometimes depression.
Paradoxically, the best thing a caregiver can do for his loved one is to stay physically and emotionally strong because there is the primary and most important support for people living with dementia.
Service
Alz aim to correct the asymmetry of information that exists between the patient, the medical profession the carer and the family through two connected interfaces
Two interconnected app :
A first interface, which allows family and friends to create a patient file that centralises the information they have. The caregiver/family app is focused on gathering information about the person living with dementia.
A second interface that allows the doctor to give advice in relation to the family report, the patient file and the consultation. The medical expert’s platform is a more medicalized app. The information shared by the family/caregiver is implemented and linked with this platform.
A first interface, which allows family and friends to create a patient file that centralises the information they have. The caregiver/family app is focused on gathering information about the person living with dementia.
A second interface that allows the doctor to give advice in relation to the family report, the patient file and the consultation. The medical expert’s platform is a more medicalized app. The information shared by the family/caregiver is implemented and linked with this platform.
We are dealing with data that allows medical care to adapt their care by collecting family knowledge about the patient.
Key points:
Enabling the medical experts to quickly grasp how dementia has progressed
Reacting relevantly according to feedbacks made by the family.
Enabling the medical experts to save time and have more appropriate care.
Using the small amount of time given to nurses, medical caregivers, and doctors to its full extent.
Enabling the medical experts to quickly grasp how dementia has progressed
Reacting relevantly according to feedbacks made by the family.
Enabling the medical experts to save time and have more appropriate care.
Using the small amount of time given to nurses, medical caregivers, and doctors to its full extent.
The notion of co-building a body of knowledge concerning the person living with dementia is at the core of this platform.
The real question is not about how to fight against dementia, but how to live with dementia.
The real question is not about how to fight against dementia, but how to live with dementia.
The family, by giving some of the information on the app, will enable the carer, the doctor and possibly the institution to better understand each patient individually. Conversely the medical profession will be able to adopt its approach to match the family's needs.
The surrounding of the person living with dementia will be invited to complete the profile sheet and ensure that each primary stakeholder has access to all necessary information.
The surrounding of the person living with dementia will be invited to complete the profile sheet and ensure that each primary stakeholder has access to all necessary information.