PhD Defence Christian Wrede | Remote health monitoring in home-based dementia care: Directions for design and implementation

Remote health monitoring in home-based dementia care: Directions for design and implementation

Christian Wrede is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology, Health & Technology. (Co)Promotors are prof.dr. J.E.W.C. van Gemert-Pijnen and dr. L.M.A. Braakman-Jansen from the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences.

The wish of many people with dementia to live at home for as long as possible, combined with limited nursing home capacity, has increased the reliance on home-based care. Much of this care is provided by (remote) family caregivers and community nurses, who are under increasing pressure. The rising demand for dementia care at home calls for person-centered remote care solutions that facilitate both formal and informal caregiving and support ageing in place of people with dementia.

This dissertation examined how remote monitoring solutions can be designed and implemented to optimally support home-based dementia care. The research followed a participatory approach, involving potential users, home care organizations, and healthcare financiers. Multiple empirical studies and a literature review were conducted as part of the Dutch Create Health program (ZonMw), resulting in both this dissertation and the online toolkit Thuismonitoring Dementie, which provides practical guidance for care innovators.

The findings of this dissertation highlight numerous benefits and user needs related to remote monitoring solutions in home-based dementia care. At the same time, they underscore the complexity of implementing such solutions as part of a new hybrid care model that blends virtual with human care. Nevertheless, this work demonstrates that viable business models can be co-developed to enable sustainable implementation across consumer, healthcare, and social care markets. Overall, this dissertation advances the understanding of digital health innovation and implementation in the context of home-based care.