Information and Communication Technology Systems to Improve Quality of Life and Safety of Alzheimer's Disease Patients: A Multicenter International Survey

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Pilotto, Alberto^{a; *} | D'Onofrio, Grazia^a | Benelli, Edoardo^b | Zanesco, Antonio^c | Cabello, Ana^d | Margelí, M. Carmen^e | Wanche-Politis, Sophia^f | Seferis, Kostas^g | Sancarlo, Daniele^a | Kilias, Dimitrios^h | on behalf of the HOPE Investigators

Affiliations: [a] Geriatrics Unit & Gerontology-Geriatric Research Laboratory, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy: Alberto Pilotto, Grazia D'Onofrio, Daniele Sancarlo, Leandro Cascavilla, Francesco Panza | [b] Forus s.r.l., Palermo, Italy: Edoardo Benelli, Ludovico Ingoglia, Roberto Genco | [c] Tracs s.r.l., Napoli, Italy: Antonio Zanesco, Gabriele Manzo, Roberto Marino | [d] CITIC Centre of Innovation, Information and Communication Technologies, Màlaga, Spain: Nina van der Vaart, Jose Salinas, Ana Cabello | [e] CETEMMSA Technological Centre, Barcelona, Spain: Daniel Blanco, Carmen Margeli, Josep Rubio | [f] KMOP (Kendro Merimnas Oikoyenas kai Pediou), Athens, Greece: Sophia Wanche-Politis, Antonia Torrens, Vasiliki Karkanztou | [g] I2S, Athens, Greece: Kostas Seferis, Aris Georgoulis, George Vovos | [h] RTEL SA, Rhodes, Greece: Dimitrios Kilias, Kosmas Prwtopapas, Savvas Koutroulis

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Alberto Pilotto, MD, Geriatric Unit & Laboratory of Gerontology-Geriatrics, Department of Medical Science, IRCCS “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”, Viale Cappuccini, 1 71013 – San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy. Tel.: +39 0882410271; Fax: +39 0882410271; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Within the frame of the European Commission funded Smart Home for Elderly People (HOPE) Project, relatives/caregivers of 223 Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients were recruited in Italy, Spain, and Greece for a multicenter international survey on the potential role of Information and Communication Technology system (ICT-systems) for AD patients. A five-minute video on HOPE ICT-systems was shown, and all relatives/caregivers completed a 13-item questionnaire that evaluated the potential role of: A) ICT-systems in improving quality of life, care, and safety; B) devices for monitoring personal movements, medication use, and ambient environmental conditions; C) devices to improve communication, home-based rehabilitation, and reduction of specific risks; and D) possible agreement in using ICT-systems by AD patients. Relatives/caregivers reported that ICT-systems could be very useful to improve: A) quality of life (66.4%), care (56.1%), and safety (87.0%); B) monitoring bed rest and movements (80.7%), medication use (87.4%), and ambient environmental conditions (85.2%); and C) emergency communication (83.4%). Relatives/caregivers reported that ICT-systems could be significantly more useful for AD patients aged 75–84 than patients aged <75 or ≥85 years (p < 0.0001) and with moderate than mild or severe dementia (p < 0.0001). Relatives/caregivers aged ≥50 years and with low educational level considered ICT-systems more useful than relatives/caregivers aged <50 years (p < 0.0001) and with high educational level (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, relatives/caregivers considered that the HOPE ICT-system could be useful to improve the management of AD patients.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, HOPE project, quality of care, quality of life, safety, user-friendly high-technology systems

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2010-101164

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 131-141, 2011