Supporting compassionate use of technology to support functioning in daily activities among people with cognitive decline – a scoping review

Abstract

Cognitive decline is becoming more prevalent as population ages. Technology offers solutions to help people with cognitive decline age in place. A compassionate approach to care can promote engagement in technology use by older adults with cognitive decline and equitable access. This scoping review summarized research literature on approaches to design and selection of technology that could support a compassionate approach to technology use for daily functioning among adults with cognitive decline and their care partners. We used the framework of Arksey and O’Malley. Key words capturing constructs of compassion, technology, and cognitive decline were searched in CINAHL, Medline, and PsycINFO. Peer-reviewed articles about the design for or use of technology by persons with cognitive decline or their care partners were included. Two reviewers screened and extracted data. Data informing compassionate technology use were analysed thematically. Fifty-five included articles represented a variety of technologies and purposes with ethics being the predominant perspective (n = 15). Analysis identified four categories: 1) Person- and care partner-centered approach, 2) Tailoring design to abilities, 3) Tailoring selection and application, and 4) Training and support. Using study findings, we developed a framework for compassionate use of technology for people living with cognitive decline and their care partners.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Compassionate approach to technology design and selection for person with cognitive decline and their care partners involves supporting autonomy, and consideration of ethical issues and specific technology purpose

• A family-centered care with a strong relational component is important when selecting technology with people with cognitive decline

• Healthcare providers and industry representatives require training to understand and adapt their approach to meet the needs of individuals living with cognitive decline and their care partners.

Keywords:

• Compassion
• technology
• ethics
• cognitive decline
• family-centred care

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of Nicole Giouridis who assisted with initial literature search, title and abstract screening, and Lydia Walker who contributed to title and abstract screening. Frank Knoefel acknowledges funding for the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind – Bruyère Research Institute Chair in Primary Health Care Dementia Research.

Disclosure statement

Marcia Finlayson serves on the Advisory Board for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities (RERC TechSAge). Frank Knoefel is on the executive of Press-IR and owns shares in esprit-ai, two Ottawa, Canada-based start-up companies in the smart home technology space. Neither company is mentioned in this paper and neither had any influence or veto-power on the content in any section of this paper.

Additional information

Funding

Funding was provided by AMS Healthcare

Notes on contributors

Dorothy Kessler

Dorothy Kessler’s research focusses on understanding the experiences of people living with chronic health conditions, as well as developing and testing of interventions and models of care to improve community reintegration and participation in personally valued activities among people with chronic health conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s’ disease. Her research is centered on interventions and approaches that engage and empower the person to manage their care.

Neil Thomas

Neil Thomas’ research focusses on using home-based technologies and digital biomarkers to evaluate individuals with cognitive impairment. He is also interested in how these technologies could be used to objectively measure time and effort related to caregiving activities and the impact this has on caregiver burden. Provide short biographical notes on all contributors here if the journal requires them.

Marcia Finlayson

Marcia Finlayson’s research program focuses on developing, implementing and evaluating self-management programs and rehabilitation services to enhance the health and well-being of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). These people include both individuals with the disease and their family caregivers. The ultimate goal of Dr. Finlayson’s scholarship is to enable people affected by MS to lead healthy, meaningful lives, and exert choice and control over their participation in daily activities at home and in the community particularly as they age. Her specific topical interests include falls prevention, fatigue management, caregiver support, and utilization of health-related services. She is the co-founder of the International MS Falls Prevention Research Network, which includes 9 other MS rehabilitation researchers from the US, Ireland, Italy, and the UK.

Frank Knoefel

Frank Knoefel is a physician at the Bruyere Memory Program and Senior Investigator at the Bruyere Research Institute. In addition to his appointment at the Faculty of Medicine, he is appointed as Adjunct Research Professor in Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton. He is a co-founder of the AGE-WELL National Innovation Hub on Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM3). His research is in the use of technology to facilitate aging in place and cognitive aging and dementia.