| Abstract: |
Old age cognitive deficit is a relatively new mass-phenomenon due to the fast growth of older populations,
and the fact that dementia is chronic, progressive, long lasting and, so far, incurable. However, in the early
phase of cognitive decline symptoms do not manifest clearly, and may remain unexplored for a longer period
of time. Clinical tests, using either paper-based or computerized methods, are made quite infrequently,
providing too sparse snapshots of the cognitive performance. In this paper, computer games are proposed
for home monitoring of possible significant changes in mental state. This approach is advantageous as it is a
regular but voluntary method. This way, more frequent assessments are possible than with the traditional
clinical test scenario. Problem descriptions, possible solutions and methods, presented in this paper, have
been elaborated in the AAL project Maintaining and Measuring Mental Wellness (M3W). The ultimate goal
of the project is to develop a computer game toolset and a methodology for monitoring the mental state of
older adults remotely (at home). As it is a complex task, only basic considerations and concepts, a few challenges,
problems and potential solutions, the proposed architecture, and the proofs of the concept are presented
in the paper. |