  Dementia is a mental illness that people live with all across the world. No
one is immune. Nothing can predict its onset. The true story of dementia
remains unknown globally, partly due to the denial of dementia symptoms and
partly due to the social stigma attached to the disease. In recent years,
dementia as a mental illness has received a lot of attention from the
scientific community and healthcare providers. This paper presents a state of
art survey of pervasive technology enabled care and support for people
suffering from Alzheimers dementia. We identify three areas of pervasive
technology support for dementia patients, focusing on care, wellness and active
living. A critical analysis of existing research is presented here, exploring
how pervasive computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of
Things (IoT) are already supporting and providing comfort to dementia patients,
particularly those living alone in the community. The work discusses key
challenges and limitations of technology-enabled support owing to reasons like
lack of accessibility, availability, usability and affordability of technology,
limited holistic care approach, and lack of education and information. Future
research directions focusing on how pervasive and connected healthcare can
better support the well being and mental health impacts of Alzheimers dementia
are also highlighted.
