Toward user-centered assistive technologies for aging in place with cognitive impairment: a survey

Abstract

Purpose

To reduce the burden of Alzheimer’s disease, the use of assistive technologies for patients and their informal caregivers is considered essential. However, these technologies are made as “one size fits all” instead of being tailored to accommodate people with varying degrees of cognitive impairment and those with diverse races/ethnicities. Thus, the aim of this survey was to determine whether the types of assistance needed most, and the technology used by those with cognitive impairment differed by race (White/non-Hispanics, Black or African Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos or Puerto Ricans) and severity of dementia (mild, moderate, severe).

Research Design and Methods

One hundred and eighty informal caregivers of people with different levels of severity of cognitive impairment and several different races/ethnicities filled out an online survey regarding assistance needed and technologies used.

Results

The results show that racial minorities considered the needs for assistance with Basic Activities of Daily Living as more important compared to White/non-Hispanics with mild dementia. Furthermore, Hispanic/Latinos or Puerto Ricans and White/non-Hispanics with severe dementia were shown to use technology that is designed to help with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living more than those with moderate dementia. Lastly, during COVID-19, devices to assist with walking, preparing meals and personal hygiene have been used significantly more by White/non-Hispanics with severe dementia compared to Hispanic/Latinos or Puerto Ricans.

Conclusion

The results point to the need to design for those with severe dementia, regardless of race, and should focus on addressing needs related to both Instrumental and Basic Activities of Daily Living.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Developers of assistive technology should consider designing technology that can accommodate all severity levels of cognitive impairment.

• More research is needed to determine the usability of assistive technology that is designed for those with cognitive impairments.

Keywords:

• Assistive technology
• inclusive design
• aging in place
• dementia

Acknowledgments

We thank LeGrand Dudley for his assistance with the data analysis. For replication purposes, our data and material are available to researchers. Please email [email protected]. The study reported in this paper was not preregistered.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Table 1. Number of Participants Included in Each Group.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a seed grant from Rice Educational and Research Initiatives for Collaborative Health.