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Project Topic
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There are 35.6 million demented people worldwide and, with the ageing population, this number will nearly double to 65.7M in 2030, and more than triple to 115.4M in 2050. Currently, more than 80% of demented elderlies live at home and are supported by formal and informal caregivers. Among these, family carers across the EU provide over 80% of all care. Therefore, dementia does not just affect individuals but has an enormous impact on the lives of the family, particularly the person who takes the primary role in providing care. In fact, caregivers present several physical and psychological stress symptoms (fatigue, sleeping disorders, diseases, anxiety, hostility, depression, etc.). Informal caregivers, moreover, have higher propensities of social isolation and burnout symptoms – and ultimately risk becoming patients themselves. The objective of understAID is to develop novel and user-friendly mobile and web applications for user-centred, personalized, and context-based e-learning support of informal caregivers, enabling them to provide better care to dementia patients and preventing future care-related symptoms and disorders. The e-learning models will be developed from a comprehensive and innovative database, which combines the relevant and existing knowledge in the literature and provided by dementia experts with the reported real-life situations faced by informal caregivers and their consequent needs and professional input. Throughout the project’s duration, development is driven by and in affinity with the end-user’s needs, direct involvement and indispensable input with respect to design, enabling technology and content. understAID reveals a clear win/win/win concept with a turnover for the consortium estimated at €44 million after 5 years and annual savings ranging from €132 to 628€ per person to the end-users and societies, representing total savings of €200 million after 5 years.
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