Innovative digital dementia tool addresses health access barriers for people living with dementia

People living with dementia often struggle to access health and care services, with important changes in their wellbeing frequently going unnoticed until it’s too late. Co-Cog is a new smartphone app that aims to address this challenge by offering new ways to monitor health and facilitate timely interventions. What makes Co-Cog different is the co-design process used for its development, which actively involved people living with cognitive impairment and healthcare professionals in every stage of design.

Introducing Co-Cog

Co-Cog is being funded and developed by researchers at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey & Sussex (ARC KSS) in collaboration with Health Innovation KSS. It is a study that explores how a digital application, co-designed with people living with dementia and healthcare professionals, can help monitor wellbeing and cognitive health through user-friendly assessments. Co-Cog contains co-designed health and wellbeing questions, and optional cognitive challenges, which are designed to pick-up changes in health and wellbeing that would benefit from intervention sooner.

“This new phase of research is essential for understanding how Co-Cog performs in real-world settings,” said Kath Sykes, Implementation Lead for Living Well with Dementia at ARC KSS and Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex. “We need solutions that make accessing health and care services easier for people living with cognitive impairment, ensuring they get help they need, when they need it. While technology offers potential solutions, they must be accessible and usable – and we must ensure those without access to technology aren’t left behind.”

The development of Co-Cog has actively involved people living with cognitive impairment in every stage of design. This approach helped researchers to understand real-world challenges, from language choice to interface design, ensuring the application addresses practical needs while remaining accessible and useful for its intended users. To date, the Co-Cog Study has involved three phases- including two stages of co-design including software development and acceptability testing in small groups.

Participants sought for phase three

The third phase opened recruitment in September 2024 and is looking to recruit participants up until June 2025. In this part of the study, participants and their study partners, which can be a friend or family member, will be asked to use the app once a week for four weeks and then provide feedback about their experiences of using Co-Cog. Participants must be able to travel to either Sussex or Wakefield for the initial Co-Cog visit. Find out more by visiting the Alzheimer’s Society or email their research team.

The importance of co-designing solutions

Research and digital innovations in healthcare have the greatest impact when they are built on a foundation of real-life experiences and challenges. Through co-design, our researchers challenged their assumptions about users’ needs and priorities. People living with cognitive impairments and their carers reported that their involvement was both meaningful and enjoyable, allowing them to make a difference while working in a supportive team environment.

Find out more

Further details about Co-Cog and its early findings will be released in 2025.

Learn more about Health Innovation KSS’s Ageing Well programme here

Learn more about ARC KSS Living Well With Dementia research here