Progress has been made

Whilst a cure for dementia currently remains elusive, progress has been made in helping those living with the condition to lead independent, fulfilling lives.
That work has been boosted by a global multi-million pound competition that funds research into harnessing new technology to help those living with dementia.
Longitude Prize Programmes aim to incentivise and support scientists, researchers, and innovators to find practical solutions to society’s most pressing challenges. This includes a specific competition that offers a £4.4m prize pool to find a breakthrough technology that allows people with dementia to continue to live independently for longer.
The winning solution must be able to demonstrate a transformational improvement in the lives of users, helping them to retain independence in one or more of the areas that contributes to their wellbeing and quality of life, including: essential activities of daily living, communication and social interactions; and other activities that enable them to lead a fulfilling life doing things they enjoy.
Using advances in science and technology, such as AI and applications of big data, the winning innovation must be empowering for the user, overcoming existing ethics, design and technology challenges to develop a solution that is easy and enjoyable to use for people as they transition through the early to mid-stages of dementia.
In June 2023 the Longitude Prize on Dementia awarded a total of £1.9m to 24 semi-finalist teams to co-create their blueprint designs with people affected by dementia.
These include the use of digital apps, Artificial Intelligence and advanced sensors to provide daily support and flag up early warning of anything untoward.
Several entries aim to alleviate the symptoms of “sundowning” – restlessness, agitation, irritability or confusion that can worsen as daylight fades.
Innovative adaptions of everyday items include Dawn – a light bulb designed by Circadian Lighting Ltd that uses AI learning patterns to detect deteriorations in behaviour. The bulb also provides optional reminders to help with daily activities, lessening caregivers’ workload and helping people living with dementia maintain independence.
Khalifa University’s iMAGIC smart glasses have various assistive features that include facial recognition, reminders and alerts, zooming in and out to facilitate navigation, phone calls to loved ones and vital sign monitoring to assist people living with dementia in their everyday life.
More information about the Longitude Prize on Dementia and the other semi-finalist can be found at:
Later this year the list will be whittled down to five finalists who will each receive an additional £300,000 to build real-world prototypes. One will go one to scoop the additional £1 million first prize which will hopefully lead to the groundbreaking technology being made widely available for the benefit of those living with dementia and their families.
That’s something we, at Caremark Mansfield & Ashfield, wholeheartedly support.