ROSETTA guidance and awareness service for independent living.

The ROSETTA project focuses on the prevention, early detection and efficient management of treatable psychosocial and physical consequences of chronic diseases that are accompanied by progressive cognitive decline and an increased risk of straying and falling during the advanced stages of the disease. The aim of ROSETTA is to help community dwelling people with progressive chronic disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, to retain their autonomy and quality of life as much as possible and to support their informal caregivers by developing and providing an ICT system that offers activity guidance and awareness services for independent living. The aim of this evaluation study is to assess the user-friendliness, usefulness and impact of the ROSETTA system on autonomy and quality of life of persons with dementia and on burden, feelings of competence and quality of life of their informal caregivers.

Compared to community-dwelling people with severe cognitive problems or dementia who have usual care, the people who use the ROSETTA systeem will experience more autonomy, a better quality of life, and nursing home admission will be delayed; the informal caregivers will experience more feelings of competence and a better quality of life.

1. Pretest and posttest measurements for primary outcomes (0 and 8 months): QoL-AD, Perceived Autonomy, Sense of Competence Questionnaire;

2. In between interviews on user friendliness and usefulness (every month).

ROSETTA system (=assistive technology) consisting of Advanced Awareness and Prevention Service (AAPS), and/or Early Detection System (EDS), and/or Elderly Day Navigator (EDN). People in the intervention group will receive an electrical system with movementsensors and a camera. These sensors will pick up early changes in daily functioning. They also receive a computer with a touchscreen which will guide them by means of an electronic assistant through daily activities. When an emerging situation or change in daily functioning is noticed, the caregivers will be noted. The intervention will take 8 months.

The control group will receive care as usual.