This project is taking place in the municipality of Eindhoven and its adjacent municipalities in South East Brabant SRE.
Intervening when the first signs of dementia become obvious
It starts with a checklist: is the elderly person showing small changes in behaviour that point to the initial stages of dementia? The ICT technology of Brainport Health Innovation will ensure that the checklist is distributed to all care service professionals. This will ensure that everybody regardless of whether they are informal carers, carers, doctors or nurses can get started quickly to allow the elderly to work on their own mental fitness in their familiar environment.
The elderly can work on this mental fitness using memory games on the special web portal. We, however, also know that physical fitness helps to prevent and inhibit dementia. Exercise applications on the Wii gaming computer can, for example, ensure that the elderly can work on their physical condition in their own living room. Fast and appropriate treatment will help in delaying the illness progression. Not in a care environment but at home.
Key features
Essence of the project: an early diagnosis of dementia is very important to deploy medical treatment and healthcare services in time. The project partners will, therefore, together search for ICT resources that can help when determining, supporting and treating dementia.
- Validated checklists have been developed to support the diagnosing process. Clients can complete these checklists from home through the Internet. A professional can assess the checklist remotely and offer support to the client. Ultimately, the project will lead to a specific implementation plan for this new service. In addition, a support group will be created to share knowledge. The lessons learned from the project will be published and distributed.
- Project participants together represent care, technology, research, communication and legal know-how. They form a strong group that is ready for a well-considered implementation plan. We can diagnose dementia earlier due to this project. This will ensure that they can take appropriate measures earlier with regard to, for example, taking medication and supervision. This will ensure that the people involved can continue to perform independently for longer by having the right support.