10046237Always Available Assistance (AAA)ClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UK1 in 14 people over the age of 65 have dementia in the UK and one in 79 of the whole population, However it is predicted that 1 in 3 people born in the UK this year will develop dementia in their lifetime. (Source: Consultation Report for Alzheimer's Research UK). This is because as life expectancy increases, so do dementia risk factors, age being the greatest risk factor and the driving force behind the projected rise. Dementia doesn't just impact the person with the condition, it also puts strain on their families. People with this condition who live alone are most vulnerable to experience loneliness, confusion and depression. Always Available Assistance aims to bridge the gap between people living alone with dementia and their families and health care workers to support them via a single cloud-based platform that is secure and accessible across all common devices. At its core, a virtual, voice-driven assistant compensates for the patient's cognitive decline by providing a system that allows information and events to be recorded and retrieved. The patient's day can be organised by relatives remotely, and visiting health care professionals can provide status updates. The system will also provide a knowledge base and safely connect members to a wider network that can be set up and monitored remotely and securely by the user's support network. The initial objective is to actively assess and refine the platform until Always Available Assistant is recognised as a leading solution in assisting people with mild to moderate stage dementia and recognising and supporting their families to improve the way that they approach the challenges of support and making them more effective in the time that they have available. This is achieved by understanding each of the common challenges surrounding dementia and using technology to reduce the daily impact of this condition. Monitoring the way that individuals interact with the platform will provide the opportunity for continuous refinement. The system's adoption will be based on the following factors: Relevance, benefits, ease of use, and affordability. No current solutions are as ambitious and focused in today's market as Always Available Assistance. The key motivator for the proposal was having firsthand experience supporting a relative with vascular dementia, which led to a vision that benefits the person with the condition while focusing on improving the effectiveness of the support network.