The Iong-term objective of Small Business Innovative Research Phase I is to develop an Internet based Alzheimer's Caregiver Support System (iACSS). The iACSS would enable care to be provided remotely to individuals with Alzheimer's disease over the Internet. iACSS would feature a videoconferencing capability to communicate and monitor the Alzheimer's patient and their environment. The objectives of the system are to improve the quality of care of Alzheimer's patients, reduce caregiver support costs and disruption to daily routine, and allow the person with Alzheimer's to remain independent as long as possible. An experimental prototype of iACSS will be developed to demonstrate the concept and functional capability of the system. Caregiver support groups will be used to develop the functional requirements of the system and define caregiver intervention strategies in a long-distance pardiem. In-home experiments will be conducted using the iACSS prototype to allow caregivers first-hand use and evaluation of the system and to identify the Alzheimer's patient and caregiver characteristics of where the system can and cannot be used effectively. The research will also evaluate the use of the iACSS to deliver professional health care to Alzheimer's patients, in both suburban and rural areas.
