Our Dorset, the Dorset Integrated Care System, has signed up to trial an innovative new product – the Milbotix SmartSocks – which can help sense when people with dementia or autism are in distress.
The socks, which track heart rate, sweat, temperature and motion, aim to enable those caring for people to intervene before issues escalate.
The familiar design of the product is intended to increase acceptance for people who may find using wearables overly complex, uncomfortable and/or stigmatising. The socks can be used in care homes and people’s own homes to help them live independently for longer. They look and feel like normal socks, are machine washable and have received positive reviews in early testing.
Dorset Council is one of a handful of local authorities that will pilot the smart socks in care homes, where Artificial Intelligence AI-driven data can give carers vital early warnings before falls and allow them to intervene before anxiety escalates.
Cllr Jane Somper, Portfolio lead member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, said there was considerable potential for the assisted technology to help both carers intervene at an early stage to prevent people becoming distressed but also to provide greater dignity for residents.
“Smart Socks can help enable people living with dementia or other conditions to retain their independence and have better day to day quality of life.”
The SmartSocks have been developed by start-up company, Milbotix. The socks are paired with an app, installed on a smartphone. A sensor embedded in one of the socks collects physiological data from the foot and the ankle of the person being wearing the socks. Sensor data is then transmitted wirelessly to a secure cloud platform, and sophisticated algorithms process the data, estimating whether the person is experiencing distress. The care team can then be alerted to any distress through the app and can then provide early intervention.
Dr Zeke Steer, Milbotix founder, said the company was delighted to be working with the Dorset Integrated Care System (ICS): “Partnering with forward thinking organisations like Dorset Council means we can hear the expert voices of people providing and receiving care.
“We are committed to building a product that genuinely help carers and improves wearers’ overall wellbeing.”
Dr Steer set up the company three years ago while undertaking research into wearables and AI at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. He was motivated to embark on the research after his grandmother began to show signs of early onset dementia, becoming agitated and distressed.
Notes to Editors
Dorset Council has signed up for the “developer edition” of the Smart Socks product, which is expected to be released in 2024. Funding for agreeing to this pilot was allocated under the Digitising Social Care programme.
