Innovative socks help those living with dementia

Residents at the Old Rectory care home in Exeter, who are living with dementia, have been participating in a smart socks trial designed to monitor anxiety and distress levels.

The Old Rectory, which is an award-winning family-run home owned by Southern Healthcare, actively blends a variety of innovative training approaches to ensure residents have the best possible quality of life. 

One of these approaches is the internationally acclaimed Eden Alternative, which aims to eliminate loneliness, helplessness, and boredom in ageing individuals by creating environments that offer companionship, opportunities to care for living things, and a variety of spontaneous activities.

The Old Rectory, for instance, has an interactive music wall where residents can push a button and hear different pieces of music from the past 80 years.

The smart socks trial involves wearing special socks fitted with a sensor that can pick up changes in body temperature, which then alert carers that a person is becoming distressed.

The socks act as an early warning system for people who may not be able to identify and self-regulate episodes of emotional upset, helping carers to step in and prevent the events from escalating.

An embedded sensor in one sock captures data in real-time on the physiological indicators of an emotionally aroused state, such as elevated heart rate, skin temperature, and agitated movement. 

If the sensors are triggered, the information goes to an app, which then notifies the carer.

The manufacturers of the socks say that they can be useful in care homes where carers need to track the wellbeing of multiple residents at the same time and may experience burnout from attempting to do so.

The socks were designed by Dr Zeke Steer, who quit his job and took a PHD at the University of Bristol’s robotics laboratory so that he could find a way to help people like his great-grandmother, who became anxious and aggressive because of her dementia.

Dr Zeke designed the socks as a more practical and comfortable alternative to a wrist-worn device.

He launched Milbotix’s smart socks as a business in February 2020.

The Old Rectory’s research is supported by the Exeter NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

Dr Byron Creese of the University of Exeter says: “Smart socks addresses the huge clinical need for effective and safe management of agitation, pain, and distress in dementia.”

The manager of the Old Rectory, Kerry Dempsey, said: “At the Old Rectory, we specialise in dementia care, and our residents have a range of needs, including physical and cognitive impairments. Any form of technology that helps those who struggle to communicate is very welcome.”

Margot Whittaker, Director of Nursing and Compliance at Southern Healthcare, says: “The idea of smart socks is an excellent way forward to help detect when a person is starting to feel anxious or fearful. At Southern Healthcare, we are always looking at ways of improving the experience for our residents, and we are committed to ensuring evidence-based care. This pilot certainly contributes to that goal.”