Commercializing In-Home Supportive Technolgy for Dementia Caregivers

摘要 照顾患有阿尔茨海默氏症、相关痴呆症或轻度认知障碍的亲人是一种高度的 家庭生活中有意义的一部分。然而，相关的负担和压力可能会对 照顾者包括心理和身体健康下降、幸福感降低和死亡率增加。 这些影响可能会影响痴呆症患者(PWD)的护理质量。经验之谈 需要采取下列干预措施：(A)显示目标机制和途径，以便将麻烦的行为联系起来 (B)对照顾者有限的时间和时间提出低要求 能源；(C)可因人而异，适应不同照顾者和残疾人士的需要 随着时间的推移；和(D)可以成功地传播到更大的社区环境中。在这种商业化中 就准备就绪试点(CRP)应用而言，我们寻求技术援助和后期研究支持 在商业推出People Power Caregiver(PPCg)之前的开发活动。PPCG由一个 硬件系统(传感器、监控设备、可穿戴设备)、应用程序和云服务 具有机器学习的事物(即，通过互联网自动通信的设备)技术 在家中和云中运行的算法，为照顾者创建更具支持性的家庭环境 以及他们所照顾的人。PPCG是在人民力量的SBIR快速跟踪奖的支持下开发的 公司和加州大学伯克利分校的伯克利心理生理学实验室(BPL)。 People Power是家庭监控和物联网技术领域屡获殊荣的老牌领先者。 近20年来，BPL一直致力于残疾人及其照顾者的基础和应用研究。 通过支持三个具体目标，CRP资金将使我们能够成功地将PPCG商业化： 目标1：提高PPCG的可及性。我们将开发新版本的PPCG并进行随机化 在服务不足的人群中进行对照试验(RCT)，评估对照顾者健康、福祉和 农村家庭(研究1)和西班牙语家庭(研究2)的用户满意度。 目标2：增加对可穿戴设备的PPCg支持。我们将使用两种可穿戴设备来评估PPCg 监控PWD的移动和位置，分析CareActive Watch数据(研究3)，作为改进的一种方式 提醒令人担忧的事件(例如，游荡)，并使用Apple Watch进行RCT(研究4) 确定对照顾者健康、幸福感和用户满意度的影响。 目标3：为PPCG的商业化做好人力准备。让人民力量做好商业化的准备 如果PPCG成功，我们将：(A)增加会说西班牙语的客户服务人员；(B)增加知识产权 通过提交5项非临时性PPCG专利申请进行保护；以及(C)与服务于大型 许多年长的客户(例如，电信公司和公用事业公司)，并具有深厚的老年护理专业知识(例如， 专业护理机构)营销和分销PPCG。

Abstract Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, or mild cognitive impairment is a highly meaningful part of family life. However, the associated burden and strain can have adverse effects on caregivers including declines in mental and physical health, reduced well-being, and increased mortality. These effects can compromise care quality for people with dementia (PWD). Empirically-supported interventions are needed that: (a) target mechanisms and pathways shown to connect troublesome behavioral symptoms in PWD with adverse effects in caregivers; (b) make low demands on caregivers’ limited time and energy; (c) can be personalized and adapted to the needs of different caregivers and PWDs as they change over time; and (d) can be disseminated successfully into larger community settings. In this Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) application, we seek support for technical assistance and late stage research and development activities prior to the commercial launch of People Power Caregiver (PPCg). PPCg consists of a hardware system (sensors, monitoring devices, wearables), apps, and cloud services that combine Internet-of- Things (i.e., devices that communicate automatically over the internet) technologies with machine learning algorithms that run in the home and in the cloud to create a more supportive home environment for caregivers and people in their care. PPCg was developed with support from an SBIR Fast Track award to People Power Company and the Berkeley Psychophysiology Laboratory (BPL) at the University of California, Berkeley. People Power is an award-winning, established leader in home monitoring and Internet-of-Things technology. BPL has been engaged in basic and applied research with PWDs and their caregivers for almost 20 years. CRP funding would enable us to commercialize PPCg successfully by supporting three specific aims: Aim 1: Increase PPCg accessibility. We will develop new versions of PPCg and conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in underserved populations that evaluate effects on caregiver health, well-being, and user satisfaction in rural homes (Study 1) and Spanish language homes (Study 2). Aim 2: Increase PPCg support for wearable devices. We will evaluate PPCg with two wearable devices that monitor PWD movement and location, analyzing CareActive watch data (Study 3) as a way of improving alerting of worrisome events (e.g., wandering), and conducting an RCT with Apple watches (Study 4) to determine effects on caregiver health, well-being, and user satisfaction. Aim 3: Readying People Power for commercializing PPCg. To prepare People Power to commercialize PPCg successfully, we will: (a) add Spanish-speaking customer service staff; (b) increase intellectual property protection by filing 5 non-provisional PPCg patent applications; and (c) partner with companies that serve large numbers of older customers (e.g., telecom companies and utilities) and have deep senior care expertise (e.g., professional caregiver agencies) to market and distribute PPCg.