An online care course for relatives of people with dementia, a podcast with detailed information about the disease, and an app that helps relatives master home care – these are the winners of the digiDEM Bayern Open Innovation Competition. The three award-winning offerings will soon be available on the online portal www.digidem-bayern.de.
The dementia research project digiDEM Bavaria invited submissions with digital solutions for people with dementia, caregivers, interested citizens, and volunteers as part of an open innovation competition. A total of 19 submissions were received, from which an expert jury has now selected the three winners.
The three winning bids
The online nursing course “Alzheimer & Dementia” took first place with prize money of 5,000 Euros. The e-learning program according to § 45 SGB X from Töchter & Söhne Gesellschaft für digitale Helfer mbH is aimed at family caregivers and volunteer caregivers, and imparts the most important information and practical knowledge for caring for people with dementia in their home environment. Course participants receive assistance for their own relief and are accompanied by an expert council that answers their individual questions on the topic of care. (Website: https://pflege.curendo.de/kurs-alzheimer-demenz).
Second place, with prize money of 3,000 Euros, goes to the “Dementia Podcast.” The free podcast from medhochzwei Publishing is released monthly with information for everyone dealing with dementia. Each episode covers one topic and lasts about 30 minutes. The Dementia Podcast offers concrete support for many questions from relatives, such as communication with people with dementia, leisure activity options, or legal matters. (Website: https://demenz-podcast.de/)
The third place, with a prize of 2,000 Euros, goes to the nursing app “Nui – Dein digitaler Begleiter durch den Pflegealltag” by Nui Care GmbH, which aims to make daily life easier for those in need of care and their relatives. For example, the app supports them in submitting applications, organizing doctor's appointments, and learning caregiving techniques, and offers personal advice from experts. In addition, multiple people can form a network and coordinate the daily routine of a person in need of care with various appointments and tasks. (Website: https://nui.care/)
The importance of digital offerings continues to rise
“We are convinced that the excellent offers for the affected groups can provide support,” explains Prof. Dr. med. Peter Kolominsky-Rabas, one of the project leaders of digiDEM Bayern. “The Corona pandemic has significantly exacerbated the situation for people with dementia and their caregivers, as well as access to many support services. Digital solutions therefore have special importance.”
For this reason, digiDEM Bavaria presents https://test.digidem-bayern.de/digitale-angebote There are already various free digital services available: the relative traffic light, an anonymous online self-test for relatives providing care, and a preventive measure, the online hearing test. Additionally, there are two offerings for knowledge transfer about dementia: the webinar series „Science Watch LIVE“ and the newsletter „Science Watch.“ The digital offerings from the three winners of the Open Innovation Competition will soon complement these.
The digiDEM Bavaria Project
The provision of digital services in the dementia sector forms one of the two pillars of the research project “Digital Dementia Registry Bavaria,” or digiDEM Bavaria for short. In addition to digital services, digiDEM Bavaria also includes surveys of people with dementia and their caregivers throughout Bavaria over a three-year period. This is intended to gain insights into the progression of the disease and the situation of caregivers, and to identify potential deficits.
digiDEM Bavaria forms a consortium of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, represented by the Interdisciplinary Center for Health Technology Assessment and Public Health (Director: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Kolominsky-Rabas) and the Chair of Medical Informatics (Head: Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Prokosch), the University Hospital Erlangen, represented by the Center for Medical Care Research (Head: Prof. Dr. med. Elmar Gräßel) and the Innovation Cluster Medical Valley European Metropolitan Region Nuremberg (Jörg Trinkwalter, Member of the Management Board).
digiDEM Bayern is part of the Bavarian Dementia Strategy and is designed for five years (2019-2023). The research project is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Dementia will present us with significant challenges at the very foundation of our society. This makes initiatives like these, which serve as role models, all the more gratifying!
Thank you for your comment! We share your assessment and are convinced that such online services can support people with dementia and their families in their daily lives.
I am currently writing my bachelor's thesis on the topic of „Opportunities and Ethical Challenges of Digital Innovations using the Example of Dementia Care,“ and I am also presenting your project. I am quite confident that the provision of digital services will be of great benefit in the near future in ensuring more efficient care for this group of people.
Thank you very much for your comment! We share this assessment, especially since the Corona pandemic makes the necessity of such offers particularly clear. We wish you every success with your bachelor's thesis!