Introduction: Dementia is characterized by global cognitive dysfunction, which can cause difficulties in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), leaving people with dementia (PwD) who do not have the proper support extremely vulnerable. Dementia management should involve preventative methods, including during the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Lay-caregivers are found to have poorer health in all three domains of the biopsychosocial model, as a result of the burden of care. New assistive technologies (ATs) have been designed to help care for PwD. ATs aim to be more affordable and widely available than human workers, achieving greater health equity and quality of life for all.
Methods: To identify relevant articles, a literature search using PubMed was undertaken by one independent reviewer: S.L.C. The keywords of "dementia", "technology", and "management" were used, with no date of publication limitations, which revealed 571 results.
Results: 44 articles were included in this review. Articles regarding new technologies to diagnose dementia or MCI were not included. ATs aim to help facilitate aging-in-place, reduce medical costs, and rates of caregiver burnout, by helping maintain patient functioning.
Discussion: Legal issues in the form of workplace safety laws, data privacy laws and regulations, and health care ethics are major barriers to implementation that need to be resolved. The hope is that artificial intelligence (AI) systems may be able to advance what they are able to perceive and help uncover new knowledge and management options for dementia and MCI.
Keywords: Aging-in-place; Assistive technology; Dementia; Ethics; Management; Mild cognitive impairment.
Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.