The TalkMeHome service for people with early dementia

摘要

IntroductionPeople suffering from mild dementia may get lost during a walk, which can be dangerous for them and may add to the anxiety felt by their informal caregivers. TalkMeHome is a new service that allows these people to get home safely in such situations using their mobile phone. With an emergency button they can call a remote care professional who will guide the lost person home. To accomplish this, the professional caregiver is able to follow the person’s GPS-location on a map and in Google Streetview. This paper reports on the gathering of user requirements, the technical design of the TalkMeHome service, and small scale experiments to assess the effectiveness and user experience of the service.