Building a Local Infrastructure that Supports the Use of Assistive Technology in the Care of People with Dementia

There is a growing interest in the potential of assistive technology to contribute to the care of people with dementia. However, despite this interest, no local social care or health service provider has developed services that utilise technology. This paper suggests that a major obstacle is the absence of an infrastructure to support its use. This infrastructure is described within a process containing a series of distinct steps. Within each of these steps the paper looks at current practice and what needs to happen to enable technology to be properly used. It argues that local infrastructures are needed to create the conditions within which technology can be successfully used, though some of the issues may be more efficiently addressed at a national level.