Health economics evaluation of cognitive prosthetics for people with dementia

Recent research indicates that people with dementia (PwD) prefer to remain living independently at home. Nevertheless, it is not only the deterioration of the condition which leads to institutionalisation, the overpowering burden which informal caregivers can experience is also a contributing factor. ICT based solutions offer the potential to enable PwD to stay at home for longer through the provision of support with ADLs. Additionally, such technologies can provide monitoring services for caregivers to allow them to remotely access the status of the people they care for, while continuing to lead normal lives.Our current research aims to evaluate the utility of a mobile-phone based cognitive prosthetic. This technology empowers the user to engage with tasks independently through the delivery of video reminders, pre-recorded remotely by caregivers. In the current project, a health economic assessment of the technology will be conducted, estimating its value as perceived by persons with mild dementia and their caregivers, in addition to potential cost savings for the health service. The assessment of the economic impact will be considered based on the information from a longitudinal trial involving 8 participants planned for Q3-4 of 2010 along with a series of 4 evaluations which have already been conducted on 40 persons and their carers to date. Specific dementia related QALY scales, such as DEMQOL will be applied to assess the effect of the technology on the quality of life. Proxy Goods and Carer Burden Scales will be used to estimate the utility of the technology for the carer.