Eisai Co. Ltd. and Mamorio Inc. recently announced their new partnership to develop Me-MAMORIO, a tracking tool that is designed to help people with dementia when they go out.
Both of the companies will participate in a demonstration experiment to use the new tool. They will also create the tool with support from the government, stakeholders, health care workers and other health care professionals.
The tool itself is a small tag with short-range wireless Bluetooth2 communication standard. People with dementia can wear this tag, and when they are close to people with the matching application in their smartphones, the dementia patient’s position is sent to a server. His or her position is then sent to family members, health care workers and other people chosen to be included.
The tool binds a community together: people can now detect the tag and dementia patient simply by having a smartphone. This technology is important because it is so lightweight and small when compared to a traditional Global Positioning System (GPS) device. This makes it much easier for patients with dementia to carry it with them when they leave home.
With Me-MAMORIO, people with dementia will be able to maintain their independence by leaving home. Family members will also be able to know that their loved ones are traveling in safety.
