Evaluation of an activity monitoring system for people with dementia

The aim of this evaluation was to carry out an evaluation of the Just Checking activity monitoring system, which supports people with dementia in their own homes. The study was carried out with Warwickshire County Council's social services, and a number of their service users. The system was installed in the homes of six people with dementia, and used by their family carers and care professionals, whose experiences were gathered in semi‐structured interviews. In total 15 people took part in interviews, including two of the people with dementia.The system gave family carers and professionals a better insight into the activities of the person with dementia, and how they were managing in their own homes. The majority of users were surprised at the consistency of the daily pattern of activity of the person with dementia and, as a result, their view of the capabilities of the person changed. The data from the system reassured family carers and proved a useful assessment tool for professionals on which to plan care.Contrary to expectations, the monitoring system gave people with dementia more control of their lives by providing a means by which they could communicate their capabilities in their home environment.