Why We Focus on Out-of-Home Autonomy

By: Daniel Brown

Supporting Independence Outside the Home: Simon’s Mission

The foundation of our mission at Simon has always been straightforward, however difficult it may be to achieve: to promote and protect independence outside of the home for people living with dementia.

The reasons for this are many, each with significant cascading value. More and more research supports our mission as being key to health and longevity not just for people living with dementia, but their family members and carers as well.

But before we get into the research, it is worth mentioning another reason grounding us in this mission: that people with dementia are people first, they deserve to be happy, to be treated with dignity and humanity. Far too many solutions out there count people with dementia as secondary beneficiaries, or more often, burdens to be dealt with.

People First: What We’ve Learned Working Alongside People With Dementia

At Simon we know that isn’t true. We’ve been lucky to work with people with dementia at every step in designing and building our product. People with whom we’ve shared many laughs. Brave and brilliant people, fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters. People with hobbies, community leaders, some people with very vibrant dating lives.

They have shared with us their time, their stories, their difficulties and their joys. Their love for long walks, their frustration with technology, their diagnosis at age 50 and what it means for their teenage children. Each conversation has been a reminder of the complex humanity in people with dementia, that they are more than their pathology, despite what many may think, or see on tv and in film. There is joy and heartbreak, love and boredom, and mostly a desire to just get on with the day and make it a good one.

That is what we aim to do at Simon. That is our north star. To help people with dementia get on with their day and make it a good one. Because people with dementia are people first, and we all deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity, a chance to be happy.

The Research Behind the Mission

The cold, hard research supports our mission overwhelmingly. Helping people with dementia stay independent outdoors not only improves their well-being, it also eases the pressure on families, carers, and the wider health system.

We now know that dementia is shaped not just by biology, but also by psychological and social factors. When people lose social networks, their risk of decline increases dramatically (Fratiglioni et al., 2000).¹On top of this, stigma around dementia can create what researchers call “excess disability” — a loss of confidence and autonomy that goes beyond the illness itself (Reifler & Larson, 1989).²

Put simply: if we only focus on medical treatment and ignore independence and dignity, people can deteriorate faster than they should.

Because of these insights, research is increasingly turning toward ways to promote independence, autonomy, and social connection (Yates et al., 2019).³

This aligns closely with Simon’s mission: supporting out-of-home navigation is not only about dignity and quality of life, but also about reducing the practical burden on carers and cutting costs to the health system.

The Financial Reality

The financial argument is hard to ignore. In 2024, the total cost of dementia in the UK was estimated at £42.5–46.3 billion (Carnall Farrar, 2024).⁴

Of this, unpaid care by families made up nearly half, with social care accounting for another 40–46%.

A third of health costs are tied to hospital stays, and dementia patients occupy a disproportionate number of emergency beds (Sommerlad et al., 2019; The Independent, 2024).⁵⁶

As people live longer, dementia prevalence will only rise, widening the gap between available resources and what families actually need (The Guardian, 2022; Maguire et al., 2021; Hamblin, 2020).⁷⁸⁹

Why Current Technology Isn’t Enough

Researchers and policymakers are therefore looking seriously at dementia technology as part of the solution. Reviews highlight a range of home-based tools:

• pressure mats (McKenzie et al., 2013)¹⁰

• door alerts (Williams et al., 2013)¹¹

• video monitoring (König et al., 2015; Behera et al., 2021)¹²¹³

• voice assistants like Alexa (Wright, 2021; Shu & Woo, 2021)¹⁴¹⁵

Each has strengths, but almost all share a major limitation: they stop at the front door. They can’t help when someone with dementia goes for a walk, visits friends, or risks becoming lost (D’Onofrio et al., 2017).¹⁶

Why Out-of-Home Support Matters

That’s why out-of-home solutions are so important. GPS-based systems have shown real promise.

• Carers felt GPS tracking eased their anxiety.

• People with dementia reported feeling safer and more confident (Liu et al., 2017).¹⁷

• A feasibility trial found that smartphones could support navigation even at the earliest stages (Kwan et al., 2020).¹⁸

These tools do not just prevent crises — they give back everyday confidence and freedom.

How Simon Builds on the Evidence

At Simon, we are building on this evidence base in two key ways:

1. Expanding support beyond the traditional carer–care recipient pair, creating a triad of support among people with dementia, carers, and care professionals (Fortinsky, 2001).¹⁹

   
   

2. Co-designing technology hand-in-hand with people with dementia and their families, rather than adapting generic GPS devices.By prototyping and testing in real-world contexts, we aim to deliver a solution that is practical, person-centered, and rooted in the lived experience of dementia.

Our north star remains clear: helping people with dementia get on with their day, safely and independently, with dignity intact.The research shows us this is possible — and the people we work with remind us every day why it matters.

Cited Works & Source Links

Fratiglioni, L., Wang, H. X., Ericsson, K., Maytan, M., & Winblad, B. (2000). Influence of social network on occurrence of dementia: A community-based longitudinal study. The Lancet.

Reifler, B. V., & Larson, E. B. (1989). Excess disability in dementia: Clinical and research implications. The Gerontologist.

Yates, L., et al. (2019). Promoting independence in dementia: A clinical and research priority. Aging & Mental Health.

Carnall Farrar. (2024). The growing impact of dementia: The 2024 UK Report. Available: https://www.carnallfarrar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-growing-impact-of-dementia.pdf CF

Alzheimer’s Society & Carnall Farrar (2024). The economic impact of dementia – UK. Available: https://www.carnallfarrar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-economic-impact-of-dementia-CF.pdf CF+1

European Journal of Epidemiology. (2019). Hospitalisation of people with dementia: Evidence from English electronic health records 2008–2016. Available: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10654-019-00481-x SpringerLink

NIHR Dementia Researcher / Dementia UK (2024). Annual Costs of Dementia — UK overview. Available: https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-annual-costs-of-dementia-1.pdfDementia Researcher

ResearchGate. (2019). The worldwide costs of dementia in 2019. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366965848_The_worldwide_costs_of_dementia_in_2019 ResearchGate

Innovation and Improvement (2024). The economic impact of dementia — Quality Improvement News. Summary: https://innovationandimprovement.wordpress.com/2024/05/21/the-economic-impact-of-dementia/ Quality Improvement News