In order to help people with dementia and their carers find dementia-friendly apps for self-management and meaningful activities a selection tool is desirable
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Guidance
People with dementia can have difficulty finding apps for self-management, meaningful activities and social participation that match their needs, interests and abilities. A tool that helps them find such apps is therefore recommended.
Explanation and example
People with dementia often experience unmet needs in their self-management, meaningful activities and social participation. Apps and technological interventions can potentially help them fulfil these needs and also decrease the burden for caregivers.
The last decade many apps have been developed that can support people with dementia in managing daily life, engaging in activities and staying in touch with their social network. However, people with dementia may have difficulty finding apps that match their needs, interests and abilities, FindMyApps is a selection tool that aims to help people find, download and use apps for self-management and meaningful activities, which are dementia-friendly and meet their needs, interests and capabilities.
A randomized controlled exploratory trial into the effectiveness of FindMyApps showed that people with dementia who were offered this tool more frequently downloaded and used apps for self-management and meaningful activities than people who did not have access to this tool. This confirmed the usefulness of the tool. Therefore, a tool such as FindMyApps is recommended for people with dementia and their caregivers to ease the search for suitable apps.
Themes
Caregiver burden Dementia FindMyApps Meaningful activities Self-management Social participation Tablet intervention Technology
Target groups
Developers of eHealth interventions Family carers People living with dementia Professional carers, clinicians Researchers evaluating technology use Researchers focusing on eHealth Welfare professionalsType of evidence
Pilot feasibility study (Kerkhof et al., 2020)
Exploratory pilot trial (ESR8, Beentjes et al., submitted)
References
Beentjes, K.M., Neal, D.P., Kerkhof, Y.J.F., Broeder, C., Moeridjan, Z.D.J., Ettema, T.P., Pelkmans, W., Muller, M.M., Graff, M.J.L., Dröes, R.M.(2020). Impact of the FindMyApps program on people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia and their caregivers; an exploratory pilot randomised controlled trial. Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol., Nov 27:1-13.
Kerkhof, Y. J. F., Kohl, G., Veijer, M., Mangiaracina, F., Bergsma, A., Graff, M., & Dröes, R.-M. (2020). Randomised controlled feasibility study of FindMyApps: First evaluation of a tablet-based intervention to promote self-management and meaningful activities in people with mild dementia. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Jun 19; 1-15. doi:10.1080/17483107.2020.1765420
As training manager of INDUCT, I am responsible for the overall coordination and organization of the individual and network-wide training of our 15 ESRs. My main task is the organization of five INDUCT Summer and Winter Schools. Together with the local and management team, we identify needs and interests among the ESRs, compose a varied program for the week including training sessions, project meetings and social and networking events, invite academic and non-academic expert speakers, organize practical matters, and afterwards we evaluate the event, write a report, and try to incorporate all suggestions in our future training events.