Alzheimer’s – one of the most common diseases in the world, and still incurable. Despite the emergence of new technologies in a wide range of medical fields; We are far from finding the solution that can detect Alzheimer’s in the pre-clinical stage or get rid of the disease. But, there is a wide variety of technological innovations in the treatment of Alzheimer’s;
Innovations that help patients and make their lives easier. This time we will talk about the most useful innovations that can help your loved ones live a better life.
1. Photo phone – one of the simplest, but most exciting innovations in Alzheimer’s treatment.
Alzheimer’s patients face memory loss that increases over time; Phone numbers are among the first things that become confusing for them. A photo phone, like the one in the Alzheimer’s store can be very helpful in these situations.
This useful technology is like the smartphone version of Alzheimer’s patients. Many of the models include the option to save a large number of dialing numbers for emergency services and the numbers of loved ones.
In the case of the phone the memory photos; The numbers have been replaced by large buttons where you can save small pictures of the nearest contacts. The patient can easily make a phone call to the desired number with one click on the picture of the person with whom they want to communicate.
2. Devices for detecting wandering
Alzheimer’s patients develop a tendency to wander in public places; There is a danger that they will get lost if they are not looked after properly.
Devices like Jiobit can be a real help when you need to locate your loved ones; To the extent that they forget their surroundings and get lost. Jiobit is a secure clip device with Bluetooth, GPS and WIFI connection that allows you to keep your loved one at home and outside the home.
This device also allows you to set a geographic limit (GEOFENCE) around a certain location so that you will receive an alert if the wearer of the device crosses this area. Jiobit also remembers the patient’s movement patterns and alerts when there is a change in them.
3. The Alzheimer Master – one of the social innovations for the treatment of Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s Master is actually an application with the help of which you can record the voice of a familiar and loved person.
By recording your voice you can create a reminder to take medicine, drink water, eat, etc. You can also use these recordings as an alarm clock, so you will prevent your loved ones from a lot of anxiety that can be caused by a normal alarm sound. Hearing the voice of a familiar person can be much more soothing than the sound of an alarm.
Furthermore, the application can record the user’s responses so that you can understand how he is doing by examining the data. Alzheimer’s Master is available for all Android devices at a cost of $10 for full use. You can also download for a free trial period.
4. Amazon’s Alexa (voice activated assistant)
Alzheimer’s patients may reach a point where they feel like a burden on their caregiver or family. Sometimes even simple things like today’s date or time can be regularly forgotten. Dealing with this forgetfulness can create a stressful situation for both the patient and the caregiver.
A voice-activated assistant like Amazon’s Alexa can be very helpful in this regard. A voice-activated assistant can be used for alerts and reminders, playing music, telling jokes and just having an interactive conversation with the patient.
These devices can answer questions non-stop and the questions can be repeated as many times as the patient wants. These advanced technologies can help Alzheimer’s patients feel less alone, and experience more control over their condition.
They can also be used to control things like the temperature in the room and the intensity of the light according to the needs of the patient.
5. Silver Mother (The Silver Mother) – an innovative home sensor for treating Alzheimer’s.
when one of the family members is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease; These are the loved ones who find themselves on the standard of caregivers. They soon discover that caring for an Alzheimer’s patient is a full-time job.
You have to monitor the patient’s activity, keep them busy, take care of their safety, make sure they have taken their medication, help them with their daily chores and many other things besides these. The therapist can’t always keep track of everything; This is exactly the point where Silver Mother comes into action.
This device includes several sensors that can help monitor sleep patterns, medication alerts, activities, etc. of the Alzheimer’s patient. The sensors are small and simple and can be used to recognize the patient’s normal behavior patterns, and to receive an alert when there is abnormal activity.
All the sensors are connected to each other through a mother hub connected to the router.
6. Calendar apps
These apps are intended for caregivers; Apps like Google Calendar can be used to keep track of all the tasks the caregiver needs to complete.
The calendar can create automatic reminders for monitoring one’s medication intake; important visits and doctor appointments; And many things besides. Caregivers can also collaborate using the calendar and share tasks with each other; This way, several people can keep track of the appointments and reminders.
7. Improving the quality of life – Spark Memories Radio
– Music has been proven to calm and relieve anxiety and to help improve the mood of people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Spark Memory Radio is actually an application that includes a collection of thousands of old songs. Tunes that take us back to the thirties and allow caregivers to schedule a playlist for their loved ones at the push of a button. The app is available for Android and Apple devices and costs $9.99 per month.
We probably have a long time to wait until the day when we wake up to hear about the first cured Alzheimer’s patient. But despite this, with the help of the appropriate technological innovations, we have the ability to make patients’ lives happier, less stressful and as comfortable as possible.
