Assistive technology and use of artificial intelligence is increasingly being developed to support people with disabilities both physical and cognitive. The potential is seen as enormous in not only making people more independent and improving their quality of life but also in meeting the care challenges we currently face.

There are however also ethical issues to be considered in the development and use of this technology. These include:

• How accessible will this technology be to most people
• whether artificial intelligence will in fact lead to reduced independence
• whether they will be increased isolation and less human contact

The development of these technologies does require understanding and participation of individuals and communities in a co-produced framework, particularly as it may lead to a profound change in how care is delivered to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Sobus has been engaging with this issue through it’s POPS (Providers of Older People’s Service) Forum. We have had speakers involved in the Minder Study based at Imperial College White City Campus, which is involved in a study on assistive technology for people with dementia. The potential benefits for assistive technology are indeed enormous and should be supported but it also important to include wider ethical and human considerations.

For more information or participation in the Minder Study please see following summary of the project:

Minder Study

In 2019, there were 748,000 people living with dementia in England. This population typically has complex care needs, placing considerable strain on the health and social care systems as well as on individuals themselves and their carers/families – at an estimated total cost to the UK of £37.4 billion a year.

MINDER is a remote care platform that aims to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers. It uses home sensors to detect an individual’s activity at home, and builds a model of ‘usual activity’ through use of artificial intelligence, allowing any deviations to be detected and flagged for follow-up, enabling early prevention. Minder has been developed by the research team at the UK DRI Care and Research Centre based at Imperial College London and the University of Surrey, in partnership with Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

For more information contact minder.hfp@nhs.net

or visit https://mindermeetingplace.com