Consider involving occupational therapists to enable people with dementia to use everyday technology
Guidance
Consider involving occupational therapists in providing interventions that enable people with dementia to use the everyday information and communication technologies they have.
Explanation and Examples
A standardized questionnaire mapped how many Everyday Information & Communication Technologies (EICT) (maximum 31) were relevant to 35 people living with dementia and 34 people with no known cognitive impairment in Sweden. A relevant EICT is one that is being used, or has been used in the past, or is planned for use in future. The median amount of relevant EICTs was shown to be 11 in the group without dementia, and 7 (significantly less) in the group with dementia. Each person also rated their ability to use (maximum 90) relevant Everyday Technologies (ETs) on a 5 step rating scale. This data was analysed (in a Rasch model) to produce a score for each person’s ability to use ET. When we compared ability to use ET with amount of relevant ETs in each group, the more EICTs a person counts as relevant, the higher was their ability to use ET. This pattern was only found in the group of people with dementia, and not the group without. The amount of relevant EICTs is affected by a person’s ability to use them. So some people may need support to identify the usefulness and possibility to use an EICT function that they have access to.
Read more >
As the INDUCT project manager, most of my tasks have been ‘behind the scenes’. I have been responsible for submitting scientific deliverables, writing reports for the funder, negotiating deadlines and updating the EU Portal. A project manager functions as a middleman between the EC Project Officer, beneficiaries, partners and ESRs.