‘I’d be lost without my smartphone’: a qualitative analysis of the use of smartphones and tablets by people living with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and their caregivers

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant information.

Pseudonym	Gender	Age	Status	Dementia subtype	Years since diagnosis
James	Male	76	PlwD	Alzheimer’s disease	5
Gary	Male	71	PlwD	Semantic dementia	4
Michael	Male	60	PlwD	Alzheimer’s disease	1
Louise	Female	59	PlwD	Vascular dementia	5
Robert	Male	70	PlwD	Alzheimer’s disease	7
Deborah	Female	68	PlwMCI	Mild cognitive impairment	5
John	Male	77	PlwD	Early onset Alzheimer’s disease	8
Carol	Female	71	PlwD	Alzheimer’s disease	Not specified
David	Male	57	PlwD	Vascular dementia	>1
Joseph	Male	Not specified	PlwD	Not specified	4
Richard	Male	75	PlwD	Not specified	Not specified
Margaret	Female	56	PlwMCI	Mild cognitive impairment	5
Thomas	Male	Not specified	PlwD	Vascular dementia	Not specified
Mark	Male	Not specified	PlwD	Lewy body dementia	10
Charles	Male	Not specified	PlwD	Not specified	Not specified
Daniel	Male	Not specified	PlwD	Alzheimer’s disease	>1
Ronald	Male	78	PlwD	Lewy body dementia	3
Donna	Female	65	PlwD	Early onset Alzheimer’s disease	7
Larry	Male	64	PlwD	Early onset Alzheimer’s disease	7
Mary	Female	72	Caregiver	Alzheimer’s disease (spouse)	5
Susan	Female	64	Caregiver	Frontotemporal dementia (spouse)	8
Patricia	Female	69	Caregiver	Not specified (spouse)	Not specified
Barbara	Female	72	Caregiver	Not specified (spouse)	3
Ann	Female	72	Caregiver	Alzheimer’s disease (spouse)	>1
Carol	Female	76	Caregiver	Alzheimer’s disease (spouse)	Not specified
Nancy	Female	Not specified	Caregiver	Not specified (spouse)	Not specified
Sharon	Female	57	Caregiver	Alzheimer’s disease (parent)	1
Alan	Male	Not specified	Caregiver	Alzheimer’s disease (spouse)	Not specified
Elizabeth	Female	Not specified	Caregiver	Not specified (spouse)	4

Table 2. Themes and sub-themes.

Themes	Sub-themes
Smart devices in practice as a person living with cognitive impairment	1.1 Innovative use of devices
	1.2 Problems with smart devices
	1.3 Seeking support to learn to use smart devices
Living in a digital world	2.1 Preserving self-identity through technology use
	2.2 Using smart technology during the COVID-19 pandemic
Smart devices as appropriate and easily accessible support for everyday living	3.1 Lack of support to live well following diagnosis

Data availability statement

The data set is available from the author upon request.