Virtual home for Alzheimer's patients
6 April 2007 A virtual home showing the best features suitable for
Alzheimer's patients will be developed by the Division of Geriatrics at
Weill Cornell Medical College, USA.
The virtual home will be made available on a website and will have
graphics-rich information to show caregivers ways to best adapt a home for
persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD), enhancing
their safety and preserving their independence.
Most of the 4.5 million Americans with ADRD today are cared for at home,
primarily by family members.
"Creating an Alzheimer's-friendly home with modifications to the kitchen,
bathroom, stairs and more is one of the most important and challenging roles
for the caregiver," says Rosemary Bakker, M.S., ASID, research associate in
gerontologic design in medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology,
Weill Cornell Medical College.
"Properly adapting a home greatly improves the quality of life for a
person with ADRD and eases the stress of caregiving. While there is already
much written information available, caregivers have expressed a desire for
an interactive website with 3-D animations, videos and written content to
properly illustrate the complex process of changing the home to match the
stage of the patient's disease. Thanks to grants, including from the NEC
Foundation of America, we will meet this need by building the first
Alzheimer's-Friendly Virtual Home."
The Web site is expected to go live in 2008.
The virtual home is funded by an NEC Foundation grant of $45,000, a
three-year grant from the Alzheimer's Association ($240,000), a grant from
the Retirement Research Foundation ($204,200) and an award from the Helen
Bader Foundation ($150,000). For more information about Weill Cornell
Medical College visit
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