An international team of researchers has developed a new online platform that improves the autonomy and self-reliance of people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease in its initial stages
The AD Autonomy platform can be accessed at www.adautonomy.eu/training, providing teaching materials, online activities and real activities to users in order to strengthen their autonomy in eight dimensions of their daily lives. Thus, for example, the platform makes it possible to learn and put into practice several guidelines to improve postural hygiene, moving around urban surroundings and home safety.
It also includes a personal planner, a tool that gathers all the activities that must be conducted, and which acts as a reminder for people with dementia and their families; materials and activities focused on household finances whose goal, among others, is to help them manage their household expenses; a series of recommendations on nutrition, cleaning; and different actions to support emotional skills.
"Each of the dimensions includes a series of basic materials aimed both at the patient and their surroundings; documents that describe the strategies that must be put into practice in order to improve the level of self-reliance; activities, because the best way to learn it putting the recommendations and support material into practice," explains Antonio Martínez Millana, researcher for the SABIEN-ITACA group of the UPV.
"In Europe there are around 6 million people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease; it affects 10 percent of the population over 65, and almost 50 percent of people over 85. This disease also affects relatives and carers. AD Autonomy helps improve the quality of life of all of them, taking action in the initial stages of Alzheimer and other dementias, uniting traditional strategies with new TIC tools," says Antonio Martínez Millana.
The platform has been assessed by over 160 users from Spain, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey, with a high degree of acceptance and improvement of the autonomy both of patients as well as carers and professionals.
The next goal is to conduct a comparative study with which to assess the positive effect that the use of the platform has on people with incipient states of Alzheimer's disease and how the suggested strategies can improve their autonomy in daily actions, such as shopping or managing their personal finances.
Provided by Asociacion RUVID
