Title:Technological Solutions for Older People with Alzheimer’s Disease: Review
Volume: 15
Issue: 10
Author(s): Petra Maresova*, Signe Tomsone, Petre Lameski, Joana Madureira, Ana Mendes, Eftim Zdravevski, Ivan Chorbev, Vladimir Trajkovik, Moriah Ellen and Kasper Rodile
Affiliation:
- University of Hradec Kralove,Czech Republic
Keywords:
Alzheimer's disease, senior citizens, technology, solution, wearable sensors, chronic diseases.
Abstract: In the nineties, numerous studies began to highlight the problem of the increasing number of
people with Alzheimer’s disease in developed countries, especially in the context of demographic progress.
At the same time, the 21st century is typical of the development of advanced technologies that
penetrate all areas of human life. Digital devices, sensors, and intelligent applications are tools that can
help seniors and allow better communication and control of their caregivers. The aim of the paper is to
provide an up-to-date summary of the use of technological solutions for improving health and safety for
people with Alzheimer’s disease. Firstly, the problems and needs of senior citizens with Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) and their caregivers are specified. Secondly, a scoping review is performed regarding the
technological solutions suggested to assist this specific group of patients. Works obtained from the following
libraries are used in this scoping review: Web of Science, PubMed, Springer, ACM and IEEE
Xplore. Four independent reviewers screened the identified records and selected relevant articles which
were published in the period from 2007 to 2018. A total of 6,705 publications were selected. In all, 128
full papers were screened. Results obtained from the relevant studies were furthermore divided into the
following categories according to the type and use of technologies: devices, processing, and activity recognition.
The leading technological solution in the category of devices are wearables and ambient noninvasive
sensors. The introduction and utilization of these technologies, however, bring about challenges
in acceptability, durability, ease of use, communication, and power requirements. Furthermore, it needs
to be pointed out that these technological solutions should be based on open standards.
