Nowadays there is a wide range of associations and companies along the EU that are offering some kind of support for the Alzheimer sufferers and their carers. Most of them are informational websites that offers helpful information for carers, but seem less attuned to the person with dementia and do not offer personalized information. As far as COGKNOW is concerned, its solutions aimed at compensating for disabilities, demonstrate that people with mild to moderate dementia are capable of handling simple electronic equipment and can benefit from it.

In the current market, there are hardly companies that provide a similar service to the one of COGKNOW and also have all the necessary devices to cover the service. In that way and, although there are some projects with similar characteristics to COGKNOW, as for example the “TunstallTown”, these projects are focused on the general public and not on an specific group as Alzheimer people are.

Other projects, as “ENABLE”, provides devices of similar intention than those of COGKNOW, but they do not allow patients’ participation, limiting in this way their feeing of independency, which is a highly valued aspect by people who suffer this disease.

As we have already said, memory support is one of the main needs of people with dementia. In the market there are several products, such as pill-dispensers, forget-me-not calendars or locators for lost objects, designed to help Alzheimer people in this matter. However, patients should have all of them to cover their needs and this can be a mess for them. COGKNOW system, by using the two devices mentioned previously (the mobile device and the fixed one), can do all these tasks and the patient would only carry one device.

Although supporting for memory could be the principal need for patients, their relatives and carers are also worried about their security. In this way, some manufacturers, such as Tunstall, have developed a set of sensors and devices that can be used to improve Alzheimer patients’ security. However, some of these systems are considered excessively invasive by the patients. COGKNOW, through the person’s participation, achieves its devices improve Alzheimer sufferers feeling of independence and, therefore, their well-being.

Other highly valued devices, not only by patients but also by carers and relatives, are those location and help devices when the person with dementia is lost. We can find products such as Sazo GPS or Flextrack’s Lommy, which have been developed in that way. COGKNOW, besides locate the person when he/she is lost, offers the possibility of showing the way to return home or even of calling for help. So, with COGKNOW, the Alzheimer patient not only can feel safe inside home, but also outside.