Integrated electronic monitoring systems could revolutionize care for patients with cognitive impairment

Dementia and other causes of functional disability can create considerable burdens for families and society as a whole, but it may be possible to partially alleviate this strain through technical innovations that replace some functions of human caregivers. This article proposes the hypothesis that cell phones, internet communication and global positioning satellite receivers could be integrated into computer based care-giving systems to provide orientation and safety cues, daily reminders of activities, protection against wandering and direct links to medical assistance in case of incapacitation. Hypothetical case histories describe assistance systems for a patient with moderate Alzheimer's disease living at home, a patient in a nursing home with more advanced dementia and incontinence, an epileptic with intermittent transient postictal amnesia, and a head injury survivor with explosive disorder.