[Information and communication technologies in the integrated care of people with dementia]

Modern information and communication tools have increasingly become an indispensable part of our everyday life. Research data demonstrate that it can be used effectively to preserve and restore health, not just among young people but also among the elderly, as for nowadays the use of the internet is widespread among the elderly, but healthcare applications are less well-known. This supports the significance of our project since it is important to develop and introduce disease-specific healthcare applications. Our preliminary results also indicated that men are less open to these new technologies, so in their case, specific methods are needed to facilitate the use of electronic devices. The high level of internet activity and the interest in information and communication technologies provide a reliable basis for applying these new technologies to the elderly. Thus, based on our research, we can develop a complex model of care based on the bio-psycho-social principles, which can be a significant advance in the prevention and early detection of age-related mental disorders and in alleviating the physical and psychological burdens of people with dementia and their families. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(24): 965-973.