technology
The DRESS ‘smart’ drawer prototype. Photo: NYU/Sapna Parikh
DRESS for success
New assistive technology prototype could help
people with dementia dress themselves.
By Conor Burke
A
’smart’ dresser prototype is aiming to help people who
struggle with remembering how to perform day-to-day
activities. Designed by the NYU Rory Meyers College of
Nursing, Arizona State University and the MGH Institute of Health
Professions, the DRESS technology also aims to provide some
independence and privacy for users, as well as some additional
freedom for caregivers.
The goal of the research is to help people with dementia “age
in place more gracefully, while ideally allowing the caregiver to
do other tasks”, with the technology alerting the carer when the
activity is completed or assistance is needed.
The prototype – designed by a team of experts in gerontology,
engineering, social sciences, nursing and psychology, and using
input from caregiver teams and family members of people with
dementia – uses a mixture of sensors on clothing and a set
of dresser drawers, combined with automated vocal prompts
recorded by the carer, to help correct dressing errors such as
wearing a shirt back to front.
The sensors on the clothing measure which side is facing a
special five-drawer dresser – designed in accordance with the
Alzheimer’s Association’s dressing guidelines – that contains one
item of clothing per drawer.
The carer initiates the sequence via a mobile device, and
when the dresser senses the person is nearby, prerecorded
voice prompts tell them to start dressing. Red lights and
36 agedcareinsite.com.au
additional prompts activate if the person dressing makes a
mistake. The sensors can also measure stress levels, and if the
person with dementia becomes stuck, confused or experiences
increased stress, the DRESS prototype initiates an activity,
previously selected by the caregiver, which aims to soothe the
person with dementia, such as a favourite song.
The laboratory study used 11 healthy participants and produced
positive results, with the prototype accurately predicting a
participant’s clothing 384 times out of 388. However, identifying
dress completion proved difficult, with the DRESS prototype
incorrectly identifying 10 cases out of 22 for shirts and 5 out of 22
for pants.
Lead author Winslow Burleson, associate professor at NYU Rory
Meyers College of Nursing, said: “With the improvements identified
by this study, the DRESS prototype has the potential to provide
automated dressing support to assist people with dementia in
maintaining their independence and privacy, while alleviating the
burden on caregivers.
“We had a project on smart homes and DIY IoT [internet of
things] interactions called Game as Life – Life as Game, that I
shared with Professor Diane Mahoney at Massachusetts General
Hospital, and she asked if these systems could be used for
dressing,” he said. “We have been collaborating on it ever since.”
After the successful trial, and some improvements on the
prototype, at-home studies conducted with people with dementia
are slated to start in the coming months.
“We are creating various levels of intervention. These allow
caregivers to have differing degrees of interaction, to better
support the diverse needs of persons living with dementia. This
approach allows for greater customisation and more personalised
support,” said Burleson. ■