Using a computer to help with dementia ~ teknologi

Posted on Mon - July 10, 2006

Using a computer to help with dementia

I've had a reason to think about assistive devices a lot lately, especially when it comes to dementia. With a couple of minor modifications, a computer could help a patient keep oriented and let absent family monitor them.

It's a pity that Apple stripped Bluetooth capacity out of the new educational iMac, otherwise it is almost built to order for what I have in mind.

First would be an wall mounted iMac, one with Bluetooth, internet access, built in camera and microphone, and a DVD player.

The second part would be a custom built Bluetooth keypad with big buttons where the labels (pictures?) could be easily changed. I was thinking of something like a phone I saw a few years back where the buttons were about 4 inches square. It wouldn't have that many buttons, maybe 12 or 15 at the most.

Building such a keyboard is beyond my skill, but I don't think it would be that hard. Then you would need software that let you map functions to specific keys.

Each button calls a function on the computer. A "Today" button for example would display a calendar, say the date clearly, and read off any events for this day.

A "Location" button would trigger the DVD player and show a small movie/slideshow telling the person where he is. Preferably it would be narrated by family members.

A button like "Daughter Cindy & Family" would play a short movie telling the person about his daughter Cindy and her family.

A "Talk with Family" would open a video iChat with any family members who happened to be online.

A "Music" button would play a random playlist from the iTunes library, or stop it if it was already playing.

As you can see, it wouldn't be that hard.

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