A reminder system for independence in dementia care: a case study in an assisted living facility

By 2050, the population share aged over 80 will double. Considering the number of older adults and the wide range of chronic conditions, health systems need to assure that care is adapted to the individuals' different needs and enables the elderly to be active and involved. This article is about introducing a food reminder system into the domain of dementia care. The aim is to explore and describe whether and how such a system, built with existing technology, can be valuable, and how caregivers adopted it in a real-world environment. The system is built with Android® tablets and is called iRemember.® The research is done as a case study at a care facility in Simrishamn, Sweden. Domain knowledge is gained by reviewing previous research and by conducting interviews with professionals at the facility. The system is developed, deployed, and evaluated at a care facility home for persons with dementia. Data about usage and perception of the value of the system is collected through observations and interviews. Results indicate that a food reminder system can be valuable to and empower people with dementia. They also indicate that caregivers can readily adopt such a solution, including both management and people working directly with persons with dementia.