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Table 2 Types and uses of Assistive Technology

From: Informal carers’ experience of assistive technology use in dementia care at home: a systematic review

Main Use

Type of Assistive Technology

Product Availability

Basic Activities of Daily Living

Assistive robot – ‘Ed’ - personal computer; microphones, LCD screen, speakers and web cameras [51]; Robotic assistants [76, 83]

Research prototype

Leisure and social interaction

Special remote control [58]/ Simple remote control to TV [48, 50, 64]

Commercial Product

Wearable sensors [71]

Commercial Product

Robotic Therapy ‘seal’ [67]

Commercial Product

Talking cazette/magazine [58]

Commercial Product

Telephones:

Picture button telephone [46, 58, 75]/ Simple mobile phone [10, 48, 50, 69]/ Photo memory telephone [47]/Easy to use telephone [79]

Commercial Product

Tablet computer [42, 70, 80] /MP3 player [89]

Commercial Product

Memory support

Memory aid [58, 88]/Memory games [87]/Information on village they live in [87]/Cognitive stimulation exercises [88]

Research prototype

Memory Message [48, 57]

Commercial Product

Timer to coffee machine [48, 50]

Research prototype

Locators:

Object locator [50]/ Lost item locator [35, 46, 75]/Locating technologies [81]

Commercial Product

Memory support and Orientation

Forget-Me-Not Calendar [57]

Commercial Product

Message box connected to coffee machine [50]

Research prototype

Information retrieval system [63]

Commercial Product

Reminiscence tools [10, 69]

Research prototype

Clocks and calendars:

Electronic orientation clocks [10, 69]/ Night and Day Calendar [46, 48, 57, 75, 85]/ automatic day and date calendar [48]/automatic calendar [49, 50]/ Digital calendar with remote control [50]/ Memory clock [48, 50]/

Commercial Product

Memory support; Orientation; Safety and security

MeDose watch [57]

Commercial Product

Integrated Rosetta system: Elderly Day Navigator + The early Detection System + Unattended autonomous surveillance system [90]

Research Prototype

Assisted cognition system - touchscreen reminders for the day, current date and time, tracking [91]

Research Prototype

Smart home management system (Xanboo) [38]/Smart home technologies [76]

Commercial Product

Personalised recorded messages [72]

Commercial Product

Orientation; Safety and security

Medicine reminders:

Electronic medication reminder [46, 47, 75, 88]; electronic pill dispensers [10, 35, 59, 69, 82]/ Medicine dispenser with alarm [48, 50]/Medication organiser [81]

Commercial Product

COGKNOW day navigator - sensors and sensor network [65, 86]

Research prototype

Talking motion sensors [72]

Commercial Product

Safety and security

Passive positioning alarm package [62, 73]

Commercial Product

Safety alarm [58]

Commercial Product

Bed alarm [58]/Bed occupancy sensor [81]

Commercial Product

Door alarm [58, 79]

Commercial Product

Sensors:

Passage sensor [58]/Sensors [38, 39, 48, 63, 88]/Movement detectors [41, 47]/ Movement sensors [35, 81]/Proximity alarms [81]/Fall sensor [76]

Commercial Product

Global Positioning Systems:

Electronic tracking device [58]/ GPS [50, 59, 78, 92]/ GPS Location monitoring devices [10, 66, 69, 84]/Tracking devices [41, 48, 76]/GPS Tracking system [52, 54,55,56, 67, 74, 77]

Commercial Product/Research prototype

Stove timer [50, 53]/ Cooker alarm [48]/Gas cooker device [46, 75]/ Automatic gas switch off devices [41]/Cooker monitors [58]

Commercial Product

Electronic door lock [48, 50]/Touchpad key locks [81]

Commercial Product

Talking wrist watch [48, 50]

Commercial Product

ADLife - gateway with alarm button, sensors [61]

Research prototype

In-home night time monitoring system [36, 37, 40]

Research prototype

Automatic night lamp [46, 75]

Commercial Product

Automatic water switch off devices [41]/Water detector alerts [81]

Commercial Product

Baby monitors [68, 72]

Commercial Product

Health monitoring system [67]

Commercial Product

Emergency response system [39, 88]/Emergency transmitters [79]

Commercial Product

Safety and security, Social interaction

Skype (on computer/tablet PC) [68]; Social contact system [67]

Commercial Product

NOCTURNAL - Sensors, communication devices, tablet PC [60]

Research prototype

Cameras [35, 41, 47, 68, 72, 81]/ Video communication system [63, 76, 87, 88]/Video surveillance [76]

Commercial Product