A Solution for the Remote Care of Frail Elderly Individuals via Exergames.

Internet of Things (IoT) solutions are a concrete answer to many needs in the healthcare framework since they enable remote support for patients and foster continuity of care. Currently, frail elderly people are among end users who most need and would benefit from IoT solutions from both a social and a healthcare point of view. Indeed, IoT technologies can provide a set of services to monitor the healthcare of the elderly or support them in order to reduce the risk of injuries, and preserve their motor and cognitive abilities. The main feature of IoT solutions for the elderly population is ease of use. Indeed, to fully exploit the potential of an IoT solution, patients should be able to autonomously deal with it. The remote-monitoring validation engineering system (ReMoVES) described here is an IoT solution that caters to the specific needs of frail elderly individuals. Its architecture was designed for use at rehabilitation centers and at patients' homes. The system is user-friendly and comfortably usable by persons who are not familiar with technology. In addition, exergames enhance patient engagement in order to curb therapy abandonment. Along with the technical presentation of the solution, a real-life scenario application is described referring to sit-to-stand activity.

Improved visuospatial neglect after tDCS and computer-assisted cognitive training in Posterior Cortical Atrophy: a single-case study.

Visuospatial neglect (VN) frequently occurs in Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) and requires specific rehabilitation. In this single-case study, we investigated the efficacy of a computer-assisted cognitive training (CCT) alone or coupled with multiple sessions of anodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (A-tDCS) over the right posterior parietal cortex in improving left VN symptoms in a patient with PCA. The digital ReMoVES platform was used for both VN assessment and training. We found a significant improvement after CCT combined with A-tDCS within the limits of a single-case, our results suggest, for the first time, the usefulness of this combined approach in a neurodegenerative disorder.

Unilateral spatial neglect rehabilitation supported by a digital solution: two case-studies.

Digital solutions for unilateral spatial neglect (USN) assessment and treatment are nowadays of great interest, because of both the possibility of combining them with other rehabilitation practices, and the easy-to-understand data and indicators they collect. The ReMoVES platform, developed in DITEN laboratories, is conceived in the Assistive Technologies framework and provides motor and cognitive exergames and activities to be performed in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation. In this work, two case-studies, related to the USN rehabilitation, are presented. The combination of cognitive therapy, delivered by the ReMoVES platform, and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) technique was used as rehabilitation treatment for both the patients. Data collected at the beginning or at the end of the rehabilitation process, or also during the treatment sessions, are shown and discussed in this paper. This work is a preliminary part of a wider one, that will be conducted involving many different rehabilitation centers, aimed at proving the validity of such an approach to USN treatments.