Frequently Asked Questions
Here, some answers to questions you may have about mindminder are available.
Further information will follow when the full Documentation is published after the Testing phase.
Carer Questions
What is meant by a "Carer"?
In the context of mindminder, a Carer could be anyone who has an interest in looking after a User or group of Users. The easiest way to imagine a Carer role is through thinking of someone with a need to support a family member User, or a professional who has responsibility for one or more Users. However Carers can also be Users and you can use mindminder to actually help yourself remember and live independently as well; the only difference if you are both User and Carer is that you will need to login with different usernames to access mindminder in each role.
Do I have to create personalised content for my Users?
No. You can use mindminder straightaway with a User with the built-in standard reminders. Ready-made reminders like "Don't forget to take have a drink", "Put the bins out", "Open or close the Curtains" are already included. However if you need specifically customised content then of course you can always include this as you feel more confident with mindminder.
Is there a limit to the number of Users I can have as a Carer?
No. In fact mindminder has been designed from the outset to allow Carers to support and interact with multiple Users. Indeed one of the advantages of mindminder is that it allows the results of multiple Users to be compared alongside each other in the same Carer "dashboard".
What if my User is not in my family? For example I wish to also support a neighbour.
This is exactly why mindminder has been designed the way it has been; Users and Carers share common links through a third entity known as "Organisations". An Organization can be a family, a neighbourhood, a business, or even a care home or GP's surgery. Once a member of a shared Organisation, Users and Carers need to be explicitly linked together within a shared organisation to enable secure support between Carer and User. Therefore, even if other users in the same Organization may also use mindminder, they are not by default accessible to all Carers in that Organization until explicitly linked.
Do my Users need to be retired or living alone to use mindminder?
Absolutely not. In fact mindminder can be used for anyone who wishes to be supported in living independently. Although the concept of mindminder was designed to support the elderly, the Carer dashboards and User experience are equally effective for supporting anyone who wishes to maintain an independent lifestyle with tacit oversight from a Carer.
How much does mindminder cost?
During the testing phase of mindminder, use is free. However extensive development time, maintaining security and storage, as well as investing in the future support for mindminder has inevitable costs. mindminder's goal is to be as accessible as possible to all Carers and Users and therefore it's anticipated that mindminder will cost about the same as one high-street coffee, or a magazine, per month per user. The costs of mindminder's use will hopefully be offset by the improved quality of life to Users and indeed even more hopefully eventually reduce the coast of a Users' care through better living and wellbeing in the long-run.
What happens to my information as a Carer and User data?
Carer and User details are managed in accordance with the mindminder Privacy Policy.
Learn MoreUser Questions
Why should I choose mindminder?
mindminder offers a unique opportunity to improve your ability to keep your Carers and/or loved-ones informed of your wellbeing without them being distracted by having to contact you or pay a visit. You may find this increases your feeling of independence and may also significantly reduce the burden on your Carers. mindminder also allows you the opportunity to improve the reliability of your daily routines by structuring key activities at appropriate time with discrete prompts. Having a more rigorous routine should improve your independence and if you're more likely to regularly drink and take any relevant prescribed medicine then mindminder may also improve your wellbeing.
Where do I use mindminder?
As long as you have somewhere with internet access and the device is powered you can use mind-minder wherever you can go with the device. In fact you can use mind winder across a number of devices in your home such that the clock feature can be displayed anywhere you wish.
What kind of things can mindminder remind me to do?
There is no limit to what you can be reminded to do using mindminder's conversational prompts. For example mindminder's basic ready-loaded tasks like brushing your teeth, maintaining a regular hydration routine or even putting the bins out once a week (including then being reminded to bring them back from the street) can also be added to with for example a Carer putting a reminder an hour before you are due to be collected for an appointment so that you are ready on time for their visit. Of course you can do all of this with a traditional paper calendar, a notepad, or some sticky notes but mindminder offers Users the opportunity to provide discrete feedback to Carers that you have achieved the task to provide peace-of-mind in your independence.
What happens if it's not convenient for me to talk with mind-minder?
The first question always asked by mindminder is whether you would like to talk at that point in time. mindminder recognises that it's not always a perfect time to talk and therefore you can always reject the conversation and any scheduled chat will be deferred by a short period.
As a User what technology do I need to access mindminder?
mindminder has been designed to operate on any internet connected device with a browser. It has been designed to be accessible to the majority of Users and also compatible with older technology such as the old smart phones or tablet devices that many Carers or Users may already have in a kitchen drawer somewhere. mindminder is built upon proven technology; the reliability of Users' speech recognition is informed by artificial intelligence to give maximum accuracy of data provided by a User.
I'm not very good with technology;
Will I get on with mindminder?
mindminder has been designed to offer a friendly and familiar conversational approach. This includes allowing mindminder's character to be adapted to one most comfortable for you. mindminder can chat with you via a number of different character voices including range of male female and different cultural or ethnic backgrounds, at differing speeds dependent on your comfort. As mindminder is hands-free and entirely voice-based, there's no need to physically interact with your device once initial setup has been completed.
I'm hard of hearing. Is mindminder for me?
All of mindminder's prompts are paraphrased on the screen with textual prompts. Therefore, mindminder can offer completely visual-only prompt if necessary however some elements of the conversation may still require your ability to provide verbal responses to assure Carers of your wellbeing and independence. The efficacy of a non-audio version of mindminder will be explored during the Testing phase.
How much does mindminder cost?
mindminder is designed to be accessible. This means that the devices necessary should already be available in a typical household, or can be purchased very cheaply, and any future subscription to mindminder is targeted to cost around the price of a cup of tea or coffee on a visit to town.
Technology Questions
Do I have to buy something new to use mindminder?
mindminder has been designed to operate on both up-to-date and legacy hardware. It is recognised that most families have a collection of older devices (phones or tablets) - often relegated to the family "oddments drawer" - which have been upgraded and are no longer used. The financial value of these devices is often very low but they are still perfectly functional and mindminder looks to re-utilise them for conversation support.
Learn MoreHow does mindminder work?
mindminder is implemented as a website; any device that can browse the web can typically support mindminder. The primary platform for mindminder is Google Chrome however it will be tested in as wide a set of target devices and configurations as possible.
Learn MoreIs mindminder secure?
The interaction between Carers and Users has been designed to be secured throughout; there must be a conscious link between a Carer and User through membership of a shared "Organisation" which can only be joined with knowledge of the Organisation secret key. Subsequently, Carers and Users must then be linked, with Carers needing a User's passphrase, such that not every Carer in an Organisation has access to every User in the Organisation.
During testing, some security aspects may be relaxed, such as the encryption of data as per the current Privacy Policy, however it is the goal of mindminder to offer a secure, reliable and trusted platform for User support as soon as possible.