The FindMyApps intervention should be preferred to usual tablet use to promote social participation in community-dwelling people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia as it better supports their quality of life if they are experiencing apathy, and better supports their informal caregivers’ sense of competence
Guidance
Care providers should consider providing people with mild cognitive impairmentMild cognitive impairment is a condition in which someone has minor problems with cognition - their mental abilities such as memory or thinking. (abbreviated to MCI) (MCIMild cognitive impairment Mild cognitive impairment is a condition in which someone has minor problems with cognition - their mental abilities such as memory or thinking.) or mild dementia with the FindMyApps tablet-based intervention, or even a usual tablet without FindMyApps if accompanied with appropriate training, as an effective way of improving their social participation.
Explanation and Examples:
Evidence from the FindMyApps project has identified increases in social participation associated with use of the tablet-based FindMyApps intervention or a usual tablet without FindMyApps, when accompanied by appropriate training. The improvements were slightly more pronounced with the FindMyApps intervention than with a tablet without FindMyApps, particularly with respect to the diversity of social activities in which people participated (as opposed to the overall frequency of social activities). Evidence was also found for people with MCIMild cognitive impairment Mild cognitive impairment is a condition in which someone has minor problems with cognition - their mental abilities such as memory or thinking./mild dementia experiencing apathy prior to receiving the interventions having better quality of life outcomes when they received FindMyApps. All improvements found were small.
Caregivers’ sense of competence refers to how well caregivers feel they can provide care for their family member with dementia or friend, and for how long. Evidence from the FindMyApps project has identified that the FindMyApps intervention is associated with a greater sense of competence for caregivers (moderate effect size) of community-dwelling people with MCIMild cognitive impairment Mild cognitive impairment is a condition in which someone has minor problems with cognition - their mental abilities such as memory or thinking./mild dementia than a normal tablet and should therefore be implemented by preference to a normal tablet.
Themes
Carer sense of competence Effectiveness FindMyApps Social participation Tablet intervention
Target groups
Clinicians Family carers People living with dementia Professional carers, clinicians Welfare professionalsType of evidence
Results from a randomized controlled trial, conducted in the Netherlands from January 2020 to November 2022.
References
Neal D., Ettema T., Zwan M., Dijkstra K., Finnema E., Graff M., Muller M., Dröes R. M. FindMyApps compared with usual tablet use to promote social health of community-dwelling people with mild dementia and their informal caregivers: a randomised controlled trial, eClinicalMedicine. 2023. 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102169
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.