GUIDEmentia

We are currently experiencing a worldwide aging problem. Since chances of developing a form of dementia increase with age, the number of people with dementia will inherently enhance as well. At a certain point, the number of caregivers will be unable to care for all who require it. Sooner rather than later, using assistive technology to partially cover for this shortage will become considerable, or essential even.

Completing multistep activities is difficult for people with dementia. To support them, a portable device is designed to independently guide them through the process of an activity, e.g. making coffee, setting the table or getting ready for bed. GUIDEmentia is a service consisting of this device for the person with dementia and an application for their surroundings. The application allows family and friends to add new instruction videos to the device, according to the user’s personal needs.
To start an instruction video, the user simply holds the device against a NFC sticker, attached to the activity, e.g. a coffee machine. All activities that are added to the device consist of short videos, visualizing the different steps required to complete the activity. After playing a video, the user can either indicate (s)he is ready for the next step, or wants to rewatch the current step. When all steps are completed, the device is ready for a new activity.

Using GUIDEmentia, we believe we can unburden caregivers and give back independence to people with dementia, allowing them to live at home longer and happier.