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Assessment, diagnosis, care and support for people with dementia and their carers (SIGN)
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People living with dementia and their carers’ perspectives on using technology to support management of dementia

Please update your RDS mobile app to version 4.7.1

We are pleased to advise that deep linking capability, enabling users to directly download individual mobile toolkits, has now been released on the RDS mobile app. When you install the update, you will see that each toolkit has a small QR code icon the header area beside the search icon – see screenshot below. Clicking on this icon will open up a window with a full-size QR code and the alternative of a short URL for sharing with users. Instructions are provided.

You may need to actively install the update to install RDS app version 4.7.1 to see this improvement. Installing this update is also strongly recommended to get the full benefits of the new contingency arrangements – specifically, that if the RDS website should fail, you will still be able to download new mobile app toolkits.

To check your current RDS version, click on the three dots bottom right of the RDS app screen. This takes you to a “More” page where you will see the version number. To install latest updates:

On iPhones – go to the Apple store, click on your profile icon top right, scroll down to see the apps waiting to be updated and update the RDS app.

On Android phones – these can vary, but try going to the Google Play store, click on your profile icon top right, click on “Manage apps and device”, select and update the RDS app.

Please get in touch with ann.wales3@nhs.scot with any questions.

People living with dementia and their carers’ perspectives on using technology to support management of dementia

Assessment, diagnosis, care and support for people with dementia and their carers (SIGN)

Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Perspectives on use of remote technology in supporting management of dementia

When using remote technology to monitor or support a person with dementia and their carers in a home setting consider:

that the person with dementia may prefer face–to-face contact with healthcare professionals over technology
that the carers may prefer face–to-face contact to allow discussions, and so that healthcare professionals can notice visual changes in the person with dementia
that some carers may prefer online consultation
the skills (technical, digital literacy, mental capacity and competency), training and education needs of the person with dementia and their carer(s)
the usability and ease of use of technology for both the person with dementia and their carer(s)
physical changes required in the home environment
the cost, data security, ethical (eg informed consent) and privacy issues for the person with dementia and their carer(s).

While there may be a preference for face-to-face contact, when this may not be possible, remote assessment may be acceptable.

The person with dementia and their family or carers’ should have awareness of remote technologies that could potentially support the management of dementia in the home setting.

Explain the use of remote technologies to the person with dementia and their family or carer(s) and how they could potentially support the management of dementia in the home setting.