Caring for someone with dementia is a challenge – especially if it’s a family member. A new app aims to support relatives and prevent them from becoming ill themselves.
Vera Bodmer has been looking after her husband for a long time. At first, she only had to remind him of appointments. Meanwhile, she washes him, answers the same questions over and over again and hardly lets him out of her sight - so that he doesn't turn on the stove and forget about it again. Vera Bodmer is stressed herself, has a guilty conscience when she has to go away and often feels lonely with her husband who has dementia.
Vera Bodmer is a fictitious example, but a typical one. According to a study commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health, 600,000 people in Switzerland care for their relatives. They are often women. If the sick person is older, the partner almost always takes over the care.
Particularly in the case of people with dementia, it is often the case that partners take on this task alone because they have slowly slipped into it, says Samuel Wehrli from the ZHAW Institute for Computational Life Sciences, where he heads the specialist group Biosignal Analysis and Digital Health: "Instead of allowing themselves more rest in retirement, the spouses virtually learn a new profession, with all the burdens that entails." Because caring for their partner is something very personal, many are also reluctant to accept help, even though a day off would do them good again.
This increases the risk of carers suffering from depression, burnout or other illnesses themselves. In addition, there is the danger that relatives will become violent towards the sick out of excessive demands.
This is where Samuel Wehrli and his team want to start. There is a lot of information and help available for family caregivers, but getting it to those affected is not easy: "Most people are so busy that they don't have time to search through the websites, PDFs and lists that are available," says Wehrli.
"You + Care is a kind of coach in cell phone format, fast, compact and easily accessible."
- Samuel Wehrli from the ZHAW Institute for Computational Life Sciences
The solution is a cell phone application. It is called You + Care and first asks about the care situation. She then suggests information, for example on how to communicate with a person who constantly forgets everything. The app also gives specific advice. For example, she recommends more self-care, such as taking a break, or gives ideas for everyday life, such as preparing a favorite dish of your partner's from the past.
As with an online film rental service, the app remembers the user's preferences and which learning modules have already been completed, explains Samuel Wehrli. "It's a kind of coach in cell phone format, fast, compact and easily accessible."
The development of the app is a collaboration between the ZHAW and the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). In addition to Samuel Wehrli Barbara Baumeister Part of the project team. She is a gerontopsychologist and works at the ZHAW Department of Social Work. For the ZHdK, Jürgen Späth and Nadine Cocina, as interaction designers, ensure that the app is designed to meet the needs of relatives. Finally, the project is working with We+Tech and Pro Aidants, an association that supports the concerns of caregivers, to implement, operate and distribute the app.
The You + Care project, which is funded by the Digitization Initiative of Zurich Universities (DIZH), will end in 2023. Wehrli and his team are currently testing various prototypes of the app with those affected. Talks are also underway to ensure that the app can be implemented from 2024. It looks good, says Samuel Wehrli, that people like Vera Bodmer will soon be able to get support and relief - quickly and easily via a cell phone app.