Assistive Technology for Promoting the Independence and the Quality of Life in Persons With Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

Persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may present a loss of cognitive functioning, memory impairments, communication difficulties, obstacles to perform daily activities, disorientation, and challenging behaviours. Currently, there is no cure for AD. However, there are valid treatments to alleviate AD-related symptoms and to reduce the burden on carers; for example, the effectiveness of the use of assistive technology (AT) has been seen. The aim was to provide, in this chapter, an overview of the newest empirical evidences available on the use of AT-based programs to improve the independence and the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. A selective literature review was carried out considering Alzheimer's, assistive technologies, dementia, quality of life, and caregivers. Empirical data demonstrated the effectiveness and the suitability of the AT interventions allowing participants to improve their quality of life, as well as to mitigate the mental and physical burden of their caregivers.