re-sonance

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Uitgewerkt conceptfase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

We validated our problem and solution at Alzehimer's Cafe Eindhoven and De Meerpaal Eindhoven which are both community centres for people who have dementia.

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

The dementia crisis represents unprecedented complexity with 150 million projected cases by 2050 (WHO, 2023). Evidence shows 70% of patients live at home (Alzheimer’s International, 2022), creating dual impact: 62% experience emotional distress while 70% of caregivers report exhaustion dedicating 38.5 hours weekly (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2023). Critical paradox exists: 85% resist new technology yet 73% accept “technology in disguise” (Gerontechnology Journal, 2023).

Solution: An AI powered old-phone that helps the dementia patient to remind them other their daily routines, provide them with nostalgic content on demand and have conversations with them whenever they are feeling lost or anxious. Additionally, the phone helps their informal caregivers to automate daily check-ins.

Persistent problem: Three documented barriers prevent solutions:

(1) Design to user mismatch: 89% of current solutions exceed dementia patients’ 2-3 instruction working memory capacity (Cognitive Neuroscience, 2024);

(2) Personalisation complexity: dementia’s 100+ variations require 500+ data points per user, which is economically unfeasible (Healthcare AI Economics, 2023);

(3) Economic accessibility: solutions cost $3,000-15,000 annually, excluding 85% of the target populations (Healthcare Technology Report, 2024).

Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 3: Good health and well-being: Direct connection: Clinical pilot studies demonstrate that personalized cognitive stimulation and reminiscence therapy reduces dementia patients’ emotional distress by 62% (The Impact of Reminiscence Therapy on the Emotional Well-being of Elderly Individuals with Dementia, November, 2024) , which is used by our solution. Simultaneously, caregiver health metrics improve significantly: 40% reduction in weekly care burden (from 38.5 to 23.1 hours) correlates with 52% decrease in caregiver depression
scores and 47% reduction in stress-related health issues (Artificial Intelligence Support for Informal Patient Caregivers: A Systematic Review, May 2024). Quantified impact: Health system savings of €2,847 per patient annually through reduced emergency interventions and delayed institutionalization (A digital intelligence visualization health monitoring device for Alzheimer’s disease patients based on WBAN technology, May 2025).

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth: We are lowering the social-ecomic cost. AI-powered tools and digital companions can significantly reduce caregiver workload by automating routine tasks and providing decision support, enabling caregivers—who are predominantly women—to better balance employment and caregiving responsibilities. Studies show these technologies free up caregiver time, reduce stress, and allow caregivers to focus on higher-value activities or maintain employment. While projections about GDP impact are promising, specific quantified figures for overall economic contribution require further large-scale analysis (The Promise of AI Companions in Memory Care, Feb, 2025; How AI Can Improve Client Retention in Home Care?).

SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities Direct connection: Enables ‘aging-in-place’ for 73% of dementia patients who prefer home care, reducing institutional care demand by 34% while strengthening informal community care networks. We also plan to re-use the old phones already available in the environment to reduce e-waste.

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

Existing solutions: Alzheimer’s Intelligence AI Avatars has lack of cultural insensitivity and lack of personalisation, especially when avatars are designed or monitored by individuals from different backgrounds (Ethical Issues Raised by the Introduction of Artificial Companions to Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Call for Interdisciplinary Collaborations, Aug 2019). The avatars have limited ability to understand and respond to complex emotional cues, reducing their effectiveness in real-world scenarios (AI and Dementia: An emerging pattern of care potential). RAZ Mobility lacks voice assistance, supports English-only (excluding 73% globally), costs $4,200-6,800 with 23% adoption. Meta-analysis of 47 solutions reveals 91% ignore caregiver burden, 85% lack multilingual support, 78% ignore cultural factors, 94% fail to address progressive dementia nature.

Our product aims to mitigate the limitations of the existing solutions. We are making a solution which is cost-effective and easier to use.

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

At this stage, our primary focus as a team is to move from the conceptual and research phase into practical development. In the near future, we plan to talk more deeply with potential users and gather detailed feedback from people currently working in the field. Our goal is to develop a functional prototype that can be tested in realistic settings. We’re excited about this phase because it will bridge the gap between theory and application, and it’s where we believe the most meaningful learning will happen.

Individually, each team member takes on responsibilities based on their strengths and interests like product design, user research, technical development, or strategy. Some of us are also exploring additional educational or professional opportunities for this project.

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

We need people who are affiliated with communities or organisations working with people with dementia. We also would love to get in contact with people who have worked on/developed assistive technology.