A Mobile Guardian Angel Supporting Urban Mobility for People with Dementia: an Errorless Learning Based Approach

Dementia is one of the main causes of dependency for old people in the world, and, according to several studies, the number of people affected by such a problem is bound to grow significantly in future. This represents a high social cost. Memory loss and disorientation to space and time are among the most common problems in the early stages of dementia, causing worry in caregivers and consequently social isolation for the people involved. A mobile system in support of the autonomous mobility around town would offer a double advantage: allowing for more independence of the dementia affected people and reassuring caregivers. In this paper, we discuss the possibility of adapting an existing mobile system, developed for intellectually impaired young adults, to these specific target users. We identify in the errorless learning approach a possible method to support the learning of a new, technologically based system accessible to people with mild dementia, highlighting some potential issues that still need further investigation, in particular learning transfer and spontaneous use.