Best Practice Guidance
Human Interaction with Technology in Dementia

Recommendations

3.3

Implementation of technology in dementia care: facilitators & barriers

Successful implementation of technology in dementia care depends not merely on its effectiveness but also on other facilitating or impeding factors related to e.g. the personal living environment (privacy, autonomy and obtrusiveness); the outside world (stigma and human contact); design (personalisability, affordability and safety), and ethics on these subjects.  This section provides recommendations on the implementation of technology in everyday life, for meaningful activities, healthcare technology and technology promoting Social Health.
3.3.5
Social Health Domain 2: Manage ones own life and promote independence
3.3.5.3

Researchers and technology developers developing, implementing and evaluating technological solutions promoting social health for community-dwelling dementia caregiving dyads should take on a relationship-centred approach

Guidance

Researchers and technology developers should be aware of the mutual influence care recipients and caregivers have on each other, and the importance of maintaining and improving caregiving relationships. Therefore they should adopt a dyadic approach to the development, implementation and evaluation of technology-driven interventions by involving both members of the dyad.

Explanation and examples

A mixed-methods feasibility study investigated the impact of a tablet-based activation system on nine community-dwelling caregiving dyads living with dementia, their motivations to use social technology together, and facilitating and impeding factors in the independent use of social technology at home. In light of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was clear that the extent to which the caregiving dyads were influenced by the extreme social isolation depended on how socially active they were before the pandemic, and their familiarity with social technology. The dyads’ motivations for welcoming technology in their social interactions ranged from trying something new together, keeping up with society to communication support.

Identified facilitators and barriers revealed that user capabilities (care recipients’ cognitive capacities and caregivers’ energy to support their loved ones); user willingness (technology interest) and sufficient support (proactive, continuous and in-person) are three crucial elements in using social technology independently at home.

These contextual factors should be approached from a dyadic perspective taking into account the needs and preferences of both members of the dyad. Technology promoting social participation cannot be developed for people living with dementia without taking into account the needs of their caregivers, and vice versa.

Themes

Target groups

Type of evidence

Viktoria Hoel (DISTINCT ESR 9)

Results from a mixed-methods feasibility study

References

Hoel, V., E.A. Ambugo, and K. Wolf-Ostermann, Sustaining Our Relationship: Dyadic Interactions Supported by Technology for People with Dementia and Their Informal Caregivers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022. 19(17): p. 10956.

Hoel, V., K. Wolf-Ostermann, and E.A. Ambugo, Social Isolation and the Use of Technology in Caregiving Dyads Living With Dementia During COVID-19 Restrictions. Frontiers in Public Health, 2022. 10.