digiDEM Bavaria was a guest at the Elder Care 2023, the international leading trade fair for the care industry in Nuremberg. Anne Keefer, a research associate at digiDEM Bayern, presented her lecture to a well-attended auditorium under the motto „Dementia and Digitalization - Breaking New Ground.“.
Around 560 exhibitors presented their latest developments, services, and products for residential and outpatient care at the leading international trade fair for the care industry from April 25 to 27, 2023. In addition to congress and keynote speeches, the industry audience also listened to presentations by subject matter experts in various forums.
Supplementary services in structurally weak regions
Under the motto „Dementia and Digitalization – Breaking New Ground,“ Anne Keefer, Gerontologist M. Sc. and research associate at digiDEM Bavaria, spoke about the importance of digitalization, especially in home care. „Digital services can supplement and expand medical and nursing care, particularly in structurally weaker regions,“ explained the young junior scientist.
Therefore, digiDEM Bayern focuses on developing various digital support services. These include, for example, the digiDEM Bayern Dementia Knowledge Test and an online questionnaire that allows close contacts of affected individuals to assess cognitive decline. The Science Watch newsletter and live webinars, which can be accessed at any time in the digiDEM Bayern media library, are very popular.
High internet usage among the elderly
The significance of digitalization is illustrated, for example, by the number of senior citizens using the internet. „According to the Eighth Federal Government Report on Aging, 79 percent of people aged 60 to 69 are online, and among those aged 70 to 79, it is still a respectable 54 percent,“ said Anne Keefer. Between 2002 and 2017 alone, the proportion of people aged 79 to 84 increased from 1.3 percent to 39.4 percent. The most important reason for them was searching for information, followed by the desire to stay in touch with friends, acquaintances, and relatives.
In addition to presenting the digital offerings, Anne Keefer also explained the digiDEM Bavaria research project. „We are surveying people with mild cognitive impairments and people with mild to moderate dementia, as well as their partners and relatives, across all of Bavaria about their own situations.“ The research goal is clearly defined, according to Anne Keefer: „With the help of the data collected, we will gain insights that will contribute to improving the living conditions of those affected in the long term.“
digiDEM Bavaria is an interdisciplinary research project by the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, University Hospital Erlangen, and the Medical Valley European Metropolitan Region Nuremberg innovation cluster. The project is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care (StMGP) as part of the „BAYERN DIGITAL II“ Master Plan.
