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Dementia Facts:
Dementia usually occurs at a slow rate, with symptoms developing over a period of years. Dementia is largely unpredictable, with the symptoms depending on which part of the brain is affected. Consequently, each case of dementia can be unique to the individual.
- While the risk of dementia increases with age, dementia is not a natural part of ageing.
- There are more than 100 conditions that cause dementia.
- Dementia affects the lives of nearly one million Australians who are involved in caring for a family member or friend with dementia.
- Dementia is currently the second largest cause of disability burden after depression. By 2016, dementia will be the largest source of disability burden.
- A person with dementia will live for an average of four to eight years, depending on their age at diagnosis. Average life span will also be affected by gender, other medical conditions and the severity of dementia at the time of diagnosis.
- About half of people with moderate to severe dementia live in the community either in their own homes, or in the home of their carer. The other half live in residential facilities.
Soulution:
Technology has a key role to play in facilitating the shift from traditional models of care, to supporting people with dementia in a way that promotes independence and enables them to stay in familiar home environments, for as long as possible.
As 40% of people with dementia are prone to walking about, Tunstall’s property exit sensor provides and early warning by alerting the response centre or designated carer, that the person has left their home and not returned within a predetermined time period.
Tunstall’s bed occupancy sensor can be programmed to switch on the lights on the way to the bathroom if a person gets out of bed, helping them to find their way there and back more easily.
Tunstall’s range of telecare sensors monitors risks, hazards and environmental conditions, such as smoke and floods, triggering a call to the response centre or designated carer if assistance is required.
Relevant Assistive Technologies:
Persoanal Alarm, Property Exit Sensor, Bed Occupancy Sensor, Smoke Detector, Flood Detector, Enuresis Sensor
Case Studies
Dementia Care - Croydon Council
Jacks Story
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