Editorial: ICT for Assessment and Rehabilitation in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders

As depicted by the cover image, this special issue unites seemingly disparate items and objects. However, importantly, all these items are related to the theme, " ICT for Assessment and Rehabilitation in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. " Under this rubric, our special issue addresses four subtopics: assessment, rehabilitation, virtual reality (VR), and education. In the last decade, there has been a growing interest in employing information and communication technologies (ICTs) with the aging population, as well as with people living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders. This interest has manifested in several ways. For example, there has been a notable increase in the amount of research funding dedicated to projects related to the theme of ICT and aging at the level of private, national, and international funding agencies. Furthermore, there has been a significant growth in the number of academic journals and publications dedicated to the topic with a resulting explosion in the number and quality of research, policy, and clinically related publications. Finally, there has been a welcome proliferation of national and international conferences/workshops themed on ICT and aging, as well as strong representation in the topics and themes of the most important AD-and dementia-related conferences. One of the peculiarities, and indeed fascinating aspects, of this domain is that it is intrinsically interdisciplinary and is dependent on the tight collaboration among professionals from diverse backgrounds, including researchers, clinicians, engineers, and business people. Those involved are driven by the thrill of innovation and the potential to apply exciting new technologies to some of the most basic aspects of older people's daily lives. The ultimate aim of these endeavors is to improve quality of life, enhance independence, and promote healthy living in the older population. Yet this work can be accompanied by complications, snags and hitches, not the least of which is the necessity for all the players to develop a common language. The need to span the boundaries among disciplines has resulted in some unique professional pairings, such as is exemplified by the recently launched team of CoBTek, the Cognition, Behavior and Technology Unit of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, which has arisen from the collaboration of the Nice Memory Clinic and INRIA. CoBTek is now working with " Innovation Alzheimer " Association in France to host and deliver annual interdisciplinary workshops devoted to developing recommendations for the use of ICT in people with AD and related …