Dementia is a syndrome in which there is a loss of cognitive functioning. It can be caused by more than 100 different degenerative, vascular, or traumatic diseases, and is one of the leading causes of disability for older people. Elderly patients with dementia need continuous and long-term assistance that requires a complex of medical, rehabilitative, nursing, and social care services, resulting in high management costs. This need has led to a growing interest in the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the health care of elderly patients with dementia, as it produces a substantial reduction in costs and improves access to health care. It also allows for the improvement of the quality of life for the elderly with dementia as they can maintain their home habits. In this context, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) arises. This is an area that uses an IoT platform governed by artificial intelligence algorithms to provide supports that can transparently assist the daily lives of people in need of assistance.
In the literature, there are different applications of assistive techniques (AT). This terminology refers to any system that can help a sick person maintain or improve their independence and security. These systems monitor a wide variety of activities and situations via intelligent sensors and are used to monitor lifestyle, provide alerts to assistants, trigger events on compatible smart home devices or warn support services depending on the severity detected. This technology also includes tracking devices that can be worn and are able to send warning signals to inform the caregiver if the patient has left a certain area. The use of mobile technology for data collection is also an efficient tool for real-time monitoring of the patient's vital signs as well as integration with augmented reality technology which allows you to produce a remote guide. Finally, the internet connection ensures telecare and telemedicine services even in areas that are difficult to reach.
The goal of this multidisciplinary Research Topic is to shed light on the solutions that different technologies can offer in caring for dementia patients and their caregivers. The challenges we would like to see being addressed are:
• Home assistance
• Support for family members/caregivers to manage daily situations in the best way, relieving them of the psychophysical problems from which they are afflicted due to intense and stressful work. These subjects should be equipped with technological tools that improve communication with the patient and facilitate remote monitoring with the help of different health and social care resources
• Use of ICT systems for the remote supervision of rehabilitation exercises performed by patients with mild dementia, assisted by caregivers
• Availability of a platform for the remote exchange of information with health facilities on health care activities and patient behavior
• Creation of innovative diagnostic tools capable of predicting cognitive decline to provide specialists with precise and reliable support for the clinical evaluation of patients
• Developing strategies to encourage the elderly to use ICT systems and innovative technologies, in their daily lives. Consequently, better management of situations would be obtained, and a serene environment is created in the relationships between patient and assistant
Therefore, we intend to bring together scientists from different disciplines (computer, biomedical, and neuro-engineering) to contribute to identifying innovative technological solutions to better assess the clinical aspects of brain disorders and cognitive decline and improve patient conditions. The focus areas include, but are not limited to:
- Computer-aided diagnosis
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Biomedical Sensors and Wearable system (inertial, IoT sensors)
- Human tracking
- Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)
- Neuroinformatics
We welcome all article types accepted by the journal.
Dementia is a syndrome in which there is a loss of cognitive functioning. It can be caused by more than 100 different degenerative, vascular, or traumatic diseases, and is one of the leading causes of disability for older people. Elderly patients with dementia need continuous and long-term assistance that requires a complex of medical, rehabilitative, nursing, and social care services, resulting in high management costs. This need has led to a growing interest in the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the health care of elderly patients with dementia, as it produces a substantial reduction in costs and improves access to health care. It also allows for the improvement of the quality of life for the elderly with dementia as they can maintain their home habits. In this context, Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) arises. This is an area that uses an IoT platform governed by artificial intelligence algorithms to provide supports that can transparently assist the daily lives of people in need of assistance.
In the literature, there are different applications of assistive techniques (AT). This terminology refers to any system that can help a sick person maintain or improve their independence and security. These systems monitor a wide variety of activities and situations via intelligent sensors and are used to monitor lifestyle, provide alerts to assistants, trigger events on compatible smart home devices or warn support services depending on the severity detected. This technology also includes tracking devices that can be worn and are able to send warning signals to inform the caregiver if the patient has left a certain area. The use of mobile technology for data collection is also an efficient tool for real-time monitoring of the patient's vital signs as well as integration with augmented reality technology which allows you to produce a remote guide. Finally, the internet connection ensures telecare and telemedicine services even in areas that are difficult to reach.
The goal of this multidisciplinary Research Topic is to shed light on the solutions that different technologies can offer in caring for dementia patients and their caregivers. The challenges we would like to see being addressed are:
• Home assistance
• Support for family members/caregivers to manage daily situations in the best way, relieving them of the psychophysical problems from which they are afflicted due to intense and stressful work. These subjects should be equipped with technological tools that improve communication with the patient and facilitate remote monitoring with the help of different health and social care resources
• Use of ICT systems for the remote supervision of rehabilitation exercises performed by patients with mild dementia, assisted by caregivers
• Availability of a platform for the remote exchange of information with health facilities on health care activities and patient behavior
• Creation of innovative diagnostic tools capable of predicting cognitive decline to provide specialists with precise and reliable support for the clinical evaluation of patients
• Developing strategies to encourage the elderly to use ICT systems and innovative technologies, in their daily lives. Consequently, better management of situations would be obtained, and a serene environment is created in the relationships between patient and assistant
Therefore, we intend to bring together scientists from different disciplines (computer, biomedical, and neuro-engineering) to contribute to identifying innovative technological solutions to better assess the clinical aspects of brain disorders and cognitive decline and improve patient conditions. The focus areas include, but are not limited to:
- Computer-aided diagnosis
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Biomedical Sensors and Wearable system (inertial, IoT sensors)
- Human tracking
- Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)
- Neuroinformatics
We welcome all article types accepted by the journal.