Living Well with Dementia: The Critical Role of Technology

Canada’s response to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global action plan on dementia includes the critical role of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging’s gerontechnology and dementia research team and AGE-WELL, both of which are led by Dr. Alex Mihailidis.

As Canada’s technology and aging network, AGE-WELL is actively implementing the WHO’s recommendations by developing innovative technologies, policies, and services that respond to the diverse needs of older adults with dementia and their care partners. Examples of AGE-WELL solutions include:

• Artificial intelligence technology that can quickly (10 minutes) and accurately quantify speech and language patterns to help detect and monitor cognitive diseases, including dementia;
• Sensor technologies for monitoring and guidance within the home developed with funding from the Alzheimer Society of Canada (e.g. reminding an older adult with dementia to wash their hands);
• A consumer guideline and website to help caregivers find the right locator device for their family member;
• Digital storytelling integrated into training sessions for care partners to address the emerging health issues related to dementia diagnoses for Indigenous peoples in Canada;
• Unobtrusive automated system that uses facial recognition technology to monitor pain in people with severe dementia who reside in long-term care facilities; and
• Memory Sparx, a digital memory aid project where older adults experiencing dementia and their caregivers participated in product design, testing, and commercialization.

In the long term, AGE-WELL is also developing assistive robots that can help individuals experiencing dementia with tasks of daily living (e.g. making a meal). These are just some examples from over 65 AGE-WELL funded projects in the technology and aging space. For more information visit the AGE-WELL website at agewell-nce.ca.

For more information on dementia and technology, contact the CCNA’s Knowledge Translation and Exchange program, and read AGE-WELL’s report written in collaboration with the Global Council on Alzheimer’s Disease, Disrupting Alzheimer’s: The Opportunities for Technology in Alzheimer’s Disease.