{"id":5463,"date":"2022-05-13T16:48:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T16:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/smart-socks-helping-protect-people-with-dementia"},"modified":"2022-05-13T17:00:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T17:00:06","slug":"smart-socks-helping-protect-people-with-dementia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/smart-socks-helping-protect-people-with-dementia","title":{"rendered":"Smart socks helping protect people with dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. <\/strong><\/span>A university PhD student has invented \u2018smart socks\u2019 which sense when people with dementia and autism are in distress. Dr Zeke Steer wanted to help after seeing his great-grandmother suffering with dementia.<\/p>\n

The socks, which track heart rate, sweat levels and motion, enable carers to intervene before things escalate. Dr Steer worked at Bristol Robotics Laboratory to find a solution and develop a mobile phone app.<\/p>\n

Current alternatives are worn on wrist straps, which have been found to stigmatise patients or even cause more anxiety. Dr Steer said: \u201cThe foot is actually a great place to collect data about stress, and socks are a familiar piece of clothing that people wear every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The socks look and feel like normal socks, do not need changing and are machine-washable. They provide a steady stream of data to carers, who can easily access their patient\u2019s metrics on an app.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could really help not just those with dementia and autism, but their carers too,\u201d said Dr Steer. He was working as a software engineer in the defence industry when his great-grandmother, Kath, began showing the ill effects of dementia.<\/p>\n

Once gentle and with a passion for jazz music, Dr Steer said Kath became agitated and aggressive, and eventually accused Dr Steer\u2019s grandmother of stealing from her.<\/p>\n

Dr Steer decided to investigate how wearable technologies and artificial intelligence could help with his great-grandmother\u2019s symptoms. During the research, he volunteered at a dementia care home operated by the St Monica Trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to see that my great grandmother wasn\u2019t an isolated episode, and that distressed behaviours are very common,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Fran Ashby, Garden House care home manager, said: \u201cZeke\u2019s passion was clear from his first day with us and he worked closely with staff, relatives and residents to better understand the effects and treatment of dementia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were really impressed at the potential of his assisted technology to predict impending agitation and help alert staff to intervene before it can escalate into distressed behaviours.<\/p>\n

\u201cSmart socks can help enable people living with dementia to retain their dignity and have better quality outcomes for their day-to-day life,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Dr Steer launched his business, Milbotix, in February 2020. The Alzheimer\u2019s Society, which is helping fund the development of the socks, says there will be 1.6 million people with dementia in the UK by 2040.<\/p>\n

Natasha Howard-Murray, senior innovator at the charity, said: \u201c\u201dSome people with dementia may present behaviours such as aggression, irritability and resistance to care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis innovative wearable tech is a fantastic, accessible way for staff to better monitor residents\u2019 distress and agitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milbotix is currently testing the socks with people living with mid to late-stage dementia and developing the technology before they go on sale next year.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Sierra-Leone<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. A university PhD student has invented \u2018smart socks\u2019 which sense when people with dementia and autism are in distress. Dr Zeke Steer wanted to help after seeing his great-grandmother suffering with dementia. The socks, which track heart rate, sweat levels and motion, enable carers to intervene before things escalate. Dr Steer worked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":5462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,9],"tags":[291,293,292],"class_list":["post-5463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-miscellaneous","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-sierra-leone","tag-sierra-leone"],"yoast_head":"\nSmart socks helping protect people with dementia - Sierra Leone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A university PhD student has invented \u2018smart socks\u2019 which sense when people with dementia and autism are in distress. 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