Implementation of an assistive technology for meal preparation within a supported residence for adults with acquired brain injury: a mixed-methods single case study

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of implementing an assistive technology for meal preparation called COOK within a supported community residence for a person with an acquired brain injury.

Methods

Using a mixed-methods approach, a multiple baseline single-case experimental design and a descriptive qualitative study were conducted. The participant was a 47-year-old woman with cognitive impairments following a severe stroke. She received 21 sessions of training on using COOK within a shared kitchen space. During meal preparation, independence and safety were evaluated using three target behaviours: required assistance, task performance errors, and appropriate responses to safety issues, which were compared with an untrained control task, making a budget. Benefits, barriers, and facilitators were assessed via three individual interviews with the client and three focus groups with the care team.

Results

Both quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that COOK significantly increased independence and safety during meal preparation but not in the control task. Stakeholders suggested that the availability of a training toolkit to a greater number of therapists at the residence and installation of COOK within the client’s apartment would help with successful adoption of this technology.

Conclusion

COOK is a promising assistive technology for individuals with cognitive deficits who live in supported community residences.

Implication For Rehabilitation

• COOK is a promising assistive technology for cognition to increase independence and safety in meal preparation for clients with ABI within their supported living contexts.

• Receiving training from an expert and the availability of technical support are imperative to the successful adoption of COOK.

Keywords:

• Acquired brain injury
• meal preparation
• assistive technology for cognition
• cognitive rehabilitation
• feasibility

Acknowledgement

Thanks to all participants, care providers and staff at the supported community residence who assisted in making this work a reality. We would like to gratefully acknowledge all investigators who supported us in this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by a subaward of a team grant provided by the Ontario Neuro-trauma Foundation and Quebec Rehabilitation Research Network [2016-ABI-REPAIR-1027] and the Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium [subaward from a grant obtained from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research: TBI 144225]. SZ is a postdoctoral fellow supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal. NB is supported by a Research Fellowship Grant from the Fonds de la recherche du Québec - Santé.