From a Walking-Stick Alarm to VR Time Travel: How Tech Can Help People with Dementia

Channel News Asia reports that new and emerging technology can help people living with dementia. One example is the Alzheimer's Disease Association's virtual reality (VR) experience. It allows caregivers to immerse themselves in a dementia sufferer's world. Meanwhile, Bekind Solutions founder Tan Lee Tuan has transformed a walking stick into a multifunctional accessory to help users, serving as a flashlight, an umbrella, and an alarm that triggers if the user falls — while built-in radio and MP3 functionality can offer music therapy. Meanwhile, the still-in-development SoundEye solution will use deep learning artificial intelligence to isolate and analyze the sounds a person would make in an emergency and a motion sensor to detect movement. Another approach is reminiscence therapy, using picture albums and other material to revive long-buried memories. Now available is a more advanced form of this treatment in the form of a VR tool from Dude Studios. It offers recreations of places that the user is familiar with. Finally, Soundbeam technology employs ultrasonic sensors to translate body movement into music.