Development of a mobile application to give personalized support to Alzheimers family caregivers

More than five million people in the United States have Alzheimer s Diseaseand another fifteen million people provide unpaid care for their loved ones suffering from this conditionAs the US population agesthe burden of Alzheimer s Disease and Alzheimer s Disease Related DementiasAD ADRDis growingplacing increasing demands on family caregiverswho spend an average ofhours per week providing personal and home careHalf of all caregivers for AD ADRD sufferers report feeling emotional stressresulting from the practicalfinancialand emotional strains of this roleFamily caregivers need more helpand a significant majority want technology to support them in their caregiving activitieshowevertechnology solutions are limitedadoption rates are lowKinto has begun to address this gap by developing the first generation of a mobile application designed to support the activities of family caregiversThis version provides practical advice on caring for the elderlytools to document medications and day to day changes in wellbeingand effective ways to help families stay connected in the caring processKinto is now proposing the development of an AD ADRD version of the appspecifically tailored to the needs of families caring for this conditionOur vision is shared by the Alzheimer s Associationwho have partnered with Kinto to support this initiativePhase I aims areSANeeds Determination and DesignKinto will work with the Alzheimer s Association and AD ADRD caregiving families to understand their specific caregiving needs and design application features to support their caregiving activities in consultation with geriatric care managersSADevelop PrototypeKinto s engineering teamwhich successfully developed the first generation of the applicationwill build and test the prototype for iOS and Android usersSAValidate and Iterate PrototypeThe app will be deployed to AD ADRD caregiving families for testing and to preliminarily determine its impact on caregiver burdenThe goals of the application will be to increase family engagement in AD ADRD caregiving activitiesreduce caregiver burden and stressand provide family caregivers with access to guidance relating to AD ADRD caregiving from the Alzheimer s Associationmillion people in the US provide unpaid care for loved ones suffering from AD ADRDand the emotionalphysical and financial demands of this role are significantCaregivers want technology solutions to support them in their rolebut options are limited and adoption rates are lowWith the support of the Alzheimer s AssociationKinto is proposing to build an AD ADRD specific version of its mobile caregiver application providing the guidance and tools to successfully manage their family s caregiving responsibilitiesimprove wellbeing for AD ADRD caregivers and patientsand prolong in home residency