Application of people-centred design methods to understand healthcare user needs for a sock-based wearable device (SmartSocks) supporting the recognition and management of distress in people living with dementia

This project is a joint initiative between the University of the West of England and Milbotix that seeks to revolutionise dementia care with advanced wearable technology.

Dementia poses significant challenges globally. It often leads to communication difficulties, and people with dementia may become easily confused by new situations. Changes of environment, such as admission to hospital, can be particularly unsettling for patients with dementia who can become aggressive or highly challenging. This makes caregiving especially difficult in these environments.

Milbotix is developing SmartSocks, a family of sock-based wearable devices. SmartSocks holds the potential to significantly improve dementia care by providing real-time insights into patients' emotional states. This could potentially reduce behavioral issues and enhance overall quality of life for individuals with dementia. The project not only addresses a critical healthcare need but also positions the UK at the forefront of innovative eldercare technologies.

SmartSocks has demonstrated capability within care homes to gather real-time actionable information enabling carers to rapidly build effective behaviour management strategies for people with dementia. For caregivers, a potential 75% reduction in time spent managing agitation is game changing, particularly considering difficulties social care is facing with care provision/staffing.

Milbotix now seeks to adapt SmartSocks to allow the device to be used in healthcare. This will involve understanding differences in user-need (both for clinicians and patients) in a more acute setting. Currently, best practice is to manually record patient behaviour at set times of day. SmartSocks can provide significantly more information at a lower cost. Data can be readily assimilated to allow better behaviour management plans to be put in place more rapidly.

There are two phases to the project:

1. Participatory design with healthcare stakeholders. This phase involves engaging stakeholders such as people with dementia, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Through focus groups and co-design workshops, participants will identify challenges in dementia care and explore how SmartSocks can address these issues effectively.

2. SmartSocks pilot in a healthcare setting. A feasibility study will be conducted in an inpatient setting involving up to 10 dementia patients wearing SmartSocks for four weeks. This study aims to assess the practicality and acceptance of SmartSocks in an acute hospital setting.

Through stakeholder engagement, pilot studies, and robust project management, this project is poised to deliver tangible improvements in dementia care. It sets a precedent for future innovations in healthcare technology, promising a brighter future for dementia patients, their caregivers, and the NHS.