we had problems submitting: what does your hack do: DementiaCare is a web application which aims to enable persons living with dementia, so that they can lead a life with autonomy. It will feature two interfaces - one for persons living with dementia (PLWD) and one for caretakers.
When creating accounts, caregivers will key in information for themselves and the PLWD they are caring for. A series of information such as preferred name, email address and second contact person will be recorded at registration. Contact information and meeting point location data will also be required as they are used when PLWDs are unable to find their way home. We are using Firebase as our database provider to record the data registered. At registration, caregivers will have to provide two sets of email addresses and passwords to login to the separate accounts, and this pairing is remembered by the database and retrieved to link the caregiver to the PLWD when the need arises.
There are four main features in the caregiver account - lost dependent reporting, events, donation and settings. The lost dependent reporting is used in these situations: When the caregiver realises that the PLWD have left their home without informing them and suspects that the PLWD is facing difficulties getting back When the PLWD is unable to find their way home, and remembers to click on the button (in PLWD version of the application) When the PLWD is unable to find their way home, and is unable to make manoeuvres on the application, a passer-by who is well-informed about the technologies used by PLWDs offers a hand and helps the PLWD contact their caregiver. When the lost dependent reporting is activated, the location of the PLWD will be accessed and updated every minute. The caregiver can then rely on the information provided to find the PLWD. In the case of point 3, the passer-by will have the option to walk the PLWD to the meeting point to meet the caregiver, or bring the PLWD to somewhere nearby which is safe, before leaving. Live location sharing will be enabled the moment the “I’m lost” button is clicked (on PLWD’s device) and an alert will be sent to the caregiver’s device. This ensures that caregivers are aware of the PLWD’s needs as soon as possible, and can access the information in the shortest amount of time. This also reduces the number of steps the PLWD needs to make, to get help (in the case of point 2). Buttons like “I’m lost” and “emergency contact” are colored in red, for a more visual guide on what to press, for PLWDs who have trouble reading.
The events tab shows community events that are organised for the elderly and PLWD. We decided not to filter events based on whether or not it is a dementia-only event, as we want PLWDs to be integrated into a larger community.
Caregivers can also donate under the donations tab to support our cause, and the funds will be used to support dementia-friendly infrastructure and development.
Caregivers can edit the information they inputted at registration in the settings section.
The PLWD version of the application will only support one main feature, which is the navigation system for PLWD, to keep the interface simple and easy to use. An alarm in the caregiver’s phone will automatically be triggered when the PLWD seeks help by clicking on the “i’m lost” button, and it will function as per explained above, where the caregiver relies on the location information to find the PLWD. We also decided to make the location tracking feature enabled only when the PLWD is lost in hopes of preserving the dignity of PLWDs by ensuring that they have some privacy while being safe, rather than being put on a tracking device. .
How did you built your hack? Tech Stack:
- Google Cloud Platform
- MongoDB 3. React
- Python
- Firebase
Some difficulties we overcame: We struggled with producing the application within the time limit, as there were many features that we wanted to include in our application, but had to be dropped in the end. However, we were glad that instead of having many small features, we focused on the map function, which is a core and essential part of our application. We believe that this was a good decision call as the other smaller side functions complement the map function. For example, the person living with dementia must first be comfortable with leaving the house for daily errands before their family can rest assured to send the person living with dementia to community events. Thus, making the ‘lost dependent’ feature the first of many steps to reintegrating persons living with dementia back into society.
We also faced some difficulty with the way the features were presented within the application. We initially chose to use cards to present the various functionalities in the caretaker portion of the application. However, we changed it to a drop down menu because we felt that it will support easier navigation on a web application. We then faced a dilemma because we felt that the user interface would be smoother if the functions were presented in a ribbon.
What was your biggest learning point from LifeHack 2022? Despite having dabbled into web development previously, we had to learn a lot more web development technologies. We are thankful to have the opportunity to work on this project, and are proud of what we have produced in the past 24 hours. We believe that this application has the potential to make a real impact in the dementia community in Singapore and we will continue to work on DementiaCare in the future to make it a reality for persons living with dementia in Singapore.
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