Descrizione del progetto
Decodificare la fine della vita nella demenza
Di fronte alla morte imminente, distinguere i sottili segni di declino nelle persone affette da demenza è tuttora una sfida formidabile; nonostante la tecnologia a disposizione, la previsione del punto in cui si percepisce il decesso manca di precisione. In quest’ottica, il progetto 5-D, finanziato dal CER, fonde valutazioni cliniche e sensori indossabili con l’obiettivo di monitorare il dolore, i sintomi comportamentali e i cambiamenti orali, nonché di decodificare l’inafferrabile punto di non ritorno. Analizzando meticolosamente l’evoluzione dei componenti legati al tanotipo (thanotype), il progetto si configura come pioniere di nuovi metodi di stima, strumenti digitali e modelli interdisciplinari. 5-D non solo migliora la comprensione della fine della vita nei pazienti affetti da demenza, ma getta anche le basi per realizzare rivoluzioni nella ricerca interdisciplinare.
Obiettivo
How can we recognize that a person with dementia is at the end of life? When we are dying, our physical, mental, and social abilities are gradually declining. No reliable method of predicting perceived dying currently exists although the technology is available (sensors, algorithms).
The aim of Decoding Death and Dying in Dementia by Digital thanotyping (5-D) is to provide methods and tools to diagnose and describe dying to an unprecedented level of accuracy and robustness, within a timespan larger than is possible now, focusing on the case of dying people with dementia as one of the most vulnerable and difficult to study groups. 5-D combines clinical assessment tools with wearable sensing technology to monitor a) pain and distressing symptoms, b) behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD), c) oral changes, and to decode “the point of no return” as the beginning of perceived dying.
To obtain this outcome in nursing home patients with dementia, I will test the main hypothesis: from monitoring the evolution of thanotype components over time and their interdependencies, the prediction of the “point of no return” is possible. The objectives of 5-D are:
O1. Collect data using sensors and validated assessment scales.
O2. Develop estimation methods for BPSD from sensor measurements.
O3. Develop digital tools to capture the expression of pain.
O4. Determine the relationship between breathing and oral symptoms.
O5. Develop models for symptom interdependencies at the end of life and the “point of no return”.
O6. Perform human-in-the-loop validation of developed tools, models, and algorithms.
The ground-breaking interdisciplinary novelty of 5-D endeavors to enhance our understanding of end-of-life underlying pain and symptoms in people with dementia. Advancing our theoretical knowledge to uncover how, when, and why perceived dying can be identified opens the doors for transferable research across several scientific fields.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
5020 Bergen
Norvegia