Remember to remember: A feasibility study adapting wearable technology to the needs of people aged 65 and older with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Dementia
Designing for a healthy life includes addressing the needs of an ageing population. The number of people aged 65 and older with mild cognitive impairment and dementia is rising. Whilst there is todate no pharmacological cure, treatments for symptoms and studies into the effect of nonpharmacological interventions have increasingly become available, with the goals of maintaining and supporting cognitive function, helping the person compensate for impairments, and improving the quality of life. Promising yet nascent is the use of wearable technology for cognitive rehabilitation. We conducted an exploratory feasibility study adapting wearable technologies to support the abovementioned elderly user group remember to remember their daily activities such as non-routine appointments. Six design concepts with smartwatches, smart bands, smartphones, smart calendar boards, NFC tags, and augmented reality glasses were sketched and two low-fidelity prototypes, Memofy and Komihu, were developed and tested with three patients and their caregivers. Technology acceptance was high both amongst patients and health personnel, encouraging further in-depth and longitudinal tests for health outcomes
