Toward Developing an Assistive Technology Framework for Older Adults with Dementia: A User-Centred Design Approach
Dementia is a major public health concern that currently affects over 750,000 people in Canada. People with dementia often face challenges in performing activities of daily living. Much of the care for older adults with dementia is provided by informal caregivers, such as a spouse or an adult child, in a home environment. However, caregiving for older adults with dementia has been shown to be a highly stressful experience for these family caregivers and can impact the lives of both the person with dementia and the caregiver.
Numerous technologies have been developed and tested to address their impact on caregiver needs. However, not much is really known about the needs and preferences of technology among these family caregivers, in particular Chinese family caregivers.
To address this information gap, we have gathered information about the needs and preferences of technology through a questionnaire that was administered to Chinese family caregivers of persons with dementia, in partnership with the Yee Hong Centre of Geriatric Care.
Objectives of the Study
- Address the different technology needs of individuals living with dementia and their caregivers; and
- Examine the influence of different social factors such as education, age, gender, religion, cultural background on technology needs.
The survey has helped technology developers design more useful and effective devices and systems that can assist caregivers in provide better care, and enable people with dementia to be more independent.
Investigators
Chen Xiong, Alex Mihailidis, & Angela Colantonio
Funding
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, through the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)
