Pervasive Technology-Enabled Care and Support for People with Dementia: The State of Art and Research Issues

Abstract: Dementia is a mental illness that people live with all across the world. No one is immune. Nothing can predict its onset. The true story of dementia remains unknown globally, partly due to the denial of dementia symptoms and partly due to the social stigma attached to the disease. In recent years, dementia as a mental illness has received a lot of attention from the scientific community and healthcare providers. This paper presents a state of art survey of pervasive technology enabled care and support for people suffering from Alzheimers dementia. We identify three areas of pervasive technology support for dementia patients, focusing on care, wellness and active living. A critical analysis of existing research is presented here, exploring how pervasive computing, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) are already supporting and providing comfort to dementia patients, particularly those living alone in the community. The work discusses key challenges and limitations of technology-enabled support owing to reasons like lack of accessibility, availability, usability and affordability of technology, limited holistic care approach, and lack of education and information. Future research directions focusing on how pervasive and connected healthcare can better support the well being and mental health impacts of Alzheimers dementia are also highlighted.