Abstract
Dementia is characterized by marked cognitive impairment and is a prevalent mental illness among older people. Alzheimer’s disease is the most frequent form of dementia, affecting memory and other cognitive functions. Although there is no cure for the disease, there are treatments that can relieve cognitive symptoms and control the behavior of affected individuals. In recent years, there has been a progressive increase in the use of applications designed for smartphones and tablets for the non-pharmacological treatment of dementia. This article describes the development of an application for mobile devices with the Android® platform operating system based on guidelines established in the literature to be used by health professionals who provide care for older people with a diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The application was evaluated employing usability tests and questionnaires, the results of which indicated that the application met the proposed objectives, validating the guidelines established in the literature for the development of applications for this population.
Highlights
The increase in life expectancy around the world offers the opportunity for people to enjoy a longer life
This paper describes the development of an application for mobile devices with the Android® platform operating system based on guidelines established in the literature to be used by health professionals who provide care for older people with a diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease
The application was developed for mobile devices using the Android® platform considering the therapeutic protocol of cognitive stimulation
Summary
The increase in life expectancy around the world offers the opportunity for people to enjoy a longer life This situation is accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of diseases related to the aging process, including dementia. According to the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) issued by the American Psychiatry Association in 2013, dementia is a major neurocognitive disorder characterized by marked cognitive deficit due to the neurodegenerative process in older people. This process can affect attention, processing speed, memory, orientation, reasoning, concentration, learning, the accomplishment of complex tasks, judgment, language, and visuospatial skills (DSM-5, 2013) (PESSOA et al, 2016). The progressive decline exerts a negative impact on the performance of activities of daily living as well as social and occupational aspects (ALZHEIMER, 2019)
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