Introduction

"Alzheimer’s disease causes people to lose their ability to recognize familiar places and faces. It’s common for a person living with dementia to wander or become lost or confused about their location, and it can happen at any stage of the disease. Six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once; many do so repeatedly. Although common, wandering can be dangerous - even life-threatening - and the stress of this risk weighs heavily on caregivers and family." - Alzheimer's Association

Wandering is a well-known consequence of Dementia still, it is hard to prevent Persons with Dementia (PwDs) from leaving their house at all times. In order to protect the well-being of PwDs, relieve the caretakers and make family members care less, a solution for this problem is needed.

In our project we will examine if a humanoid robot used as a doorman can prevent people from going out. The robot will be located next to the exit door of a care home. When a PwD heads towards this door, the robot starts a dialogue and tries to convince the person to stay inside (as you can see in the sketch). It will suggest different activities to do instead of going out, which are underlined with music.