News
25 April 2023
Meet the judges: Simon Reeve, Director of Innovation at The Alan Turing Institute, UK.
“We have several cases of dementia in members of our family. We have experienced the whole journey over a period of many years from early stages of forgetting words or simple facts, to progressive inability to coordinate arms and legs, to being completely bed-bound with minimal ability to communicate, requiring around-the-clock care. Another relative remains fully physically active but has completely lost the ability to act or communicate rationally, and needs to be in a protected care environment for their own safety.”
Why are you excited to be judging Longitude Prize on Dementia?
In my professional role, I seek to accelerate the application of science and technology for economic and societal benefit. I am therefore very pleased to support the Longitude Prize on Dementia, accelerating solutions from the wealth of expertise available in this critically important field.
What experiences and insights will you be bringing to the judging process?
I have spent much of my career working across the interface between research, industry and society. The perennial challenge is how to make the world a better place through safe, responsible and ethical adoption of new technology. Developing world-leading science, by its nature, requires an open mind and a focus on understanding the mechanisms driving what is observed.
Research teams often take the conclusions of their work and only then consider where they can find an application for their research. Whilst that approach can deliver results, often, it is more appropriate to ask, “what are the global challenges in our area of activity?”; “how could we align our research to help address that challenge?”.
It sounds simple but actually requires a different mindset and thought process.
What difference do you think assistive technologies will make to people living with dementia?
Assistive technologies are an important element of the portfolio of technologies that can help people living with dementia, especially in the early stages of the condition. They can also support their families, their carers, and health professionals in managing the impacts of the condition. These technologies range from devices that offer support with physical needs, to support with mental health issues – both equally challenging for families living with dementia.
Have you seen an appetite for technology amongst people living with dementia? What do innovators need to take into consideration in designing for this audience?
I’m not sure “appetite” is the best term. There is certainly some scepticism, based partly on a lack of familiarity with technology, or limited experience of technology that isn’t fully adapted to meet the needs of the person living with dementia.
Any successful solution needs to be very simple to use and very well-matched to specific needs. To give a simple low-tech example, we have been using TV remotes for decades, however most are still unnecessarily complex, with many buttons that aren’t used, causing frustration to people of all ages and capabilities. Simplicity of use is key.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The quality of submissions for the Longitude Prize on Dementia is extremely high. There are some really interesting innovations. Some are completely novel, others take existing solutions to the next level of effectiveness and impact.
The most successful proposals are likely to be those that most completely meet the targeted needs of the dementia community. They may be technically simple but, importantly, they have a clear route to delivering outcomes sustainably and at scale – and this is the crux of the challenge.
From my own experience of family members, I know that any proposed technology aid needs to be very specific to the situation and need; it should recognise the transient nature of dementia, i.e. one solution may be suitable for a period of time but something completely different may be required six or 12 months later.
Finally, I think it is important to emphasise that a technology that successfully assists a person living with dementia is often equally beneficial to the physical and mental well-being of their carers and family members.
Simon Reeve
