Alan - dementia friendly technologies

Alan lived in a small village in a rural area and was diagnosed with dementia in his 70s. His daughter had moved in with him to support him after his wife died. One of his great pleasures was walking his dog twice a day as he was physically fit and enjoyed the countryside. As his dementia progressed he started to get disoriented when outdoors and on one occasion walked for 24 miles with his dog and had to be helped to return home. His daughter went out to work during the day and was concerned for his safety.

An assistant technology practitioner met with Alan and his daughter and they agreed that a 'Buddi' GPS would enable him to continue his walks safely. The system was set up with a geographical fence mechanism so that if Alan went outside the area set on the GPS the system would alert his daughter. In addition it enabled her to know where his was when she was not with him. The result was that the daughter was able to move back home and Alan stayed in his own home for another 8 months until his condition deteriorated too much to make this possible.