As Europe’s population is ageing, long-term care for elderly citizens will become an increasing cost for society. To manage this transition healthcare policies in the EU and individual Member States are heavily focused on extending the independent life of the elderly, with the dual aim of increasing their quality of life and reducing the costs of care. Dementia affects more than 6% of people aged 60+ and has a devastating effect on their independence – to date, there is no proven intervention to help dementia patients live a fulfilling life for longer. In this project we will build on an innovative patient support tool to provide healthcare over a distance specifically targeted to patients with mild dementia that enables the interaction of voice, video, and healthrelated data using ordinary telephone lines connected to internet The aim of this study is to develop and to evaluate the effectiveness of a remote support care system based on transmission of data and video-interactivity between health-professionals, patients and careers to prevent deterioration of health and to improve social connectedness and to improve quality of life of people living at home with dementia. The tool will offers following applications:

i) Interactive video conference system with health professionals
ii) Reminders and alerts to help patients to adhere to their treatment and their medical appointments
iii) Telecare through remote transmission of vital signs data (e.g. blood pressure) and regular monitoring of cognitive functions.
iv) Social Connectedness of patients with their families, to community organizations and to social services.
v) Promotion of Health and healthy style of living of people living with dementia at home through counselling, exercise training by videos and online practices sessions

This will slow the patients’ cognitive and functional decline, avoid carers getting exhausted and reduce costs of emergency care. Our project will comprise two phases: first we promote focus group with doctors, nurses, patients and careers to discuss the content and the materials they consider needed to be included in the interface of support system. Later the device will be tested in the home TV and connected to internet. A demonstration and a training session of device utilization will be made at home with users and careers. We will collect feedback on its adaptation from their users of the application until the design is perfectly adapted to the users’ needs. In the second phase, we will pilot in two different countries the optimized application with a total of 100 users (patients + careers) and 100 controls. This will show the clinical and social benefits for patients and careers, as well as financial benefits for the healthcare system. Successful delivery of the pilot will increase patients’ adherence to treatment (10 %-points), while improving the quality of life of careers and patients and it will save health care providers €1,818 / patient / year in care costs, based in the improvement of treatment adherence.

The Initiative «Telehealth Home Support During COVID-19 Confinement for Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Mild Dementia» that used the results of «TV-AssistDem», is a finalist on «EU Health Award». These awards are annual prices of the European Commission to the best policies of the EU in the field of Health.

Abstrast:

The iniciative seeked to prevent and alleviate mental health related needs and the impact of social isolation as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in community-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment or dementia by providing television-based and telephone-based health care and social support bridging the gaps which rose from disrupted service provision. Moreover, the effects of a television-based assistive integrated technology TV-ASSISTDEM, for remote support were explored. Findings showed how a presumably vulnerable population presented more resilience to social isolation than expected with overall optimal mental health. However, living alone was reported as a risk factor for negative psychological effects. Health or social services contact during the outbreak was high, and Television sets were the preferred technological devices to access COVID-19 information, watch television as a recreational activity, and perform memory exercises as an intellectual activity.Telehealth support using TV-AssistDem demonstrated potential for cognitive stimulation.

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IBIMA has been awarded with a prize of 1.500€ in the EU Health Award on Mental Health in the category NGOs or other not-for-profits organisation.  Congratulations to Dr Fermina Mayoral and his team in this European recognition that rewards the effort of initiatives alleviating the mental health impact of COVID 19.

Initiative title: “Telehealth Home Support During COVID-19 Confinement for Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Mild Dementia”