Empirical studies on the effectiveness of assistive technology in the care of people with dementia: a systematic review

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Fleming ◽  
Shima Sum

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the empirical support for the use of assistive technology in the care of people with dementia as an intervention to improve independence, safety, communication, wellbeing and carer support. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 232 papers were identified as potentially relevant. Inclusion criteria were: studies published between 1995 and 2011, incorporated a control group, pre-test-post-test, cross sectional or survey design, type of interventions and types of participants. The 41 papers that met criteria were subjected to an assessment of their validity using the model provided by Forbes. Following the assessment seven papers were considered as strong, ten moderate and 24 weak. The review is presented around the following topics: independence, prompts and reminders; safety and security; leisure and lifestyle, communication and telehealth; and therapeutic interventions. Findings – The literature exploring the use of assistive technologies for increasing independence and compensating for memory problems illustrate the problems of moving from the laboratory to real life. The studies are usually limited by very small samples, high drop-out rates, very basic statistical analyses and lack of adjustment for multiple comparisons and poor performance of the technology itself. Originality/value – Research to date has been unable to establish a positive difference to the lives of people with dementia by the general use of the assistive technology reviewed here.

Author(s):  
Andressa Ribas Mildner ◽  
Aline Sarturi Ponte ◽  
Miriam Cabrera Corvelo Delboni ◽  
Jodeli Pommerehn ◽  
Kátine Estivalet ◽  
...  

O objetivo do estudo foi identificar as atividades cotidianas comprometidas pela hemiplegia de pessoas acometidas por AVC e verificar a influência do uso de tecnologias assistivas no desempenho ocupacional das mesmas. Para tanto, trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, descritivo, com delineamento transversal. Houve a participação de quatro pessoas acometidas por AVC com sequela de hemiplegia, sendo utilizados como instrumentos uma entrevista semiestruturada e a Medida Canadense de Desempenho Ocupacional. Os participantes foram avaliados e por doze semanas receberam intervenções terapêuticas ocupacionais -- prescrições, confecção e treinamentos dos dispositivos de tecnologias assistivas, sendo reavaliados posteriormente. Como resultados, pode-se observar que todos os participantes apresentavam restrições em atividades envolvendo as áreas do autocuidado, a produtividade e o lazer, principalmente nos cuidados pessoais, tarefas domésticas e na recreação tranquila. Após identificar as principais atividades-problemas, e com as intervenções terapêuticas ocupacionais e inclusão dos dispositivos de tecnologias assitivas nas atividades cotidianas, observou-se melhora no desempenho ocupacional, tanto na percepção do desempenho como da satisfação, tendo um aumento de 2,1 pontos em ambas. Assim, conclui-se que o uso da COPM possibilita identificar atividades-problema para se pensar em estratégias de intervenção como criação de dispositivos de TA. Assim, o uso de TA pode influenciar na melhora do desempenho ocupacional de pessoas com limitações e restrições na realização de atividade cotidianas, sendo coadjuvante da função para minimizar os comprometimentos e facilitar a realização das atividades importantes. AbstractThe objective ofth estudy was to identify daily activities which were compromised by hemiplegia in people who had suffered a stroke, as well as to verify thein fluence of the use of assistive technologie son their occupational performance. For this purpose, a quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was carried out. The study was conducted with four people who had hemiplegia after having a stroke. A semi-structured interview and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used. Participant swere evaluated, and then received occupational therapeutic interventions for 12 weeks -- prescriptions, and making and training of assistive technology devices -- before be ingreassessed. As a result, it could be observed that all participants presented restriction son activities involving self-care, productivity and leisure, especially in personal care, domestic tasks and quietre creation. After identifying them ainim paired activities, and implementing occupational therapeutic interventions and assistive technology devices in daily activities, anim provement was observed in thepatients' occupational performance. The perception of performance as well as the satisfaction of these patients increased 2.1 points. Therefore, it could be seen that the use of COPM makes it possible to identify impaired activities so that intervention strategies and the creation of assistive Technologies devices could be considered. Thus, the use of assistive Technologies can influence and improve the occupational performance of patients with limitations and restrictions in performing daily activities, serving as a support for these functions, minimizing the difficulties and facilitating the execution of importante tasks.Keywords: Cerebral Vascular Accident; Occupational Therapy; Orthopedic Supplies. Resumen El objetivo del estudio fue identificar las actividades cotidianas comprometidas por la hemiplejía de personas acometidas por AVC y verificar la influencia del uso de tecnologías asistivas en el desempeño ocupacional de las mismas. Para ello, se trata de un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo, con delineamiento transversal. La participación de cuatro personas acometidas por AVC con secuelas de hemiplejía, siendo utilizados como instrumentos una entrevista semiestructurada y la Medida Canadiense de Desempeño Ocupacional. Los participantes fueron evaluados y por doce semanas recibieron intervenciones terapéuticas ocupacionales - prescripciones, confección y entrenamientos de los dispositivos de tecnologías asistivas, siendo reevaluados posteriormente. Como resultados, se puede observar que todos los participantes presentaban restricciones en actividades que involucra las áreas del autocuidado, la productividad y el ocio, principalmente en los cuidados personales, tareas domésticas y en la recreación tranquila. Después de identificar las principales actividades-problemas, y con las intervenciones terapéuticas ocupacionales e inclusión de los dispositivos de tecnologías asitivas en las actividades cotidianas, se observó una mejora en el desempeño ocupacional, tanto en la percepción del desempeño y de la satisfacción, teniendo un aumento de 2,1 puntos En ambas. Así, se concluye que el uso de la COPM posibilita identificar actividades-problema para pensar en estrategias de intervención como creación de dispositivos de tecnologías asistivas. Así, el uso de tecnologías asistivas puede influenciar en la mejora del desempeño ocupacional de personas con limitaciones y restricciones en la realización de actividad cotidiana, siendo coadyuvante de la función para minimizar los compromisos y facilitar la realización de las actividades importantes.Palavras clave: Accidente Vascular Cerebral; Terapia Ocupacional; Aparatos Ortopédicos.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris A.G.M. Geerts ◽  
Liselore J.A.E Snaphaan ◽  
Inge M.B. Bongers

BACKGROUND Despite the potential value of assistive technology to support people with dementia (PWD) in everyday activities, use of these technologies is still limited. To ensure that assistive technologies better address the specific needs and daily context of PWD and their informal caregivers, it is particularly important to involve them in all different phases of assistive technology development. The literature rarely describes the involvement of PWD throughout the development process of assistive technologies, which makes it difficult to further reflect on and improve active involvement of PWD. OBJECTIVE This two-part study aimed to gather insights on the user-centered design (UCD) applied in the development process of the alpha prototype of the serious game PLAYTIME by describing the methods and procedures of the UCD as well as evaluating the UCD from the perspective of all involved stakeholders. METHODS The first three phases of the user-driven Living Lab of Innovate Dementia 2.0 were applied to directly involve PWD and their informal caregivers through qualitative research methods, including focus groups and a context-field study, in the development of the alpha prototype of PLAYTIME from exploration to design to testing. After the testing phase, a total number of 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with PWD, their informal caregivers and the project members of PLAYTIME to evaluate the applied UCD from the perspective of all involved stakeholders. The interviews addressed five of the principles for successful UCD and the appropriateness of the different methods used in the focus groups and context-field study. RESULTS Results of the interviews focused, amongst others, on the level of involvement of PWD and their informal caregivers in the development process, the input provided by PWD and their informal caregivers, the value of early prototyping, continuous iterations of design solutions and in-context testing, the role of dementia care professionals in the multidisciplinary project team, and the appropriateness of open- and closed-ended questions for obtaining input from PWD and their informal caregivers. CONCLUSIONS The description and evaluation of the UCD applied in the development process of the alpha prototype of PLAYTIME resulted in several insights on the relevance of UCD for all involved stakeholders as well as how PWD can be involved in the subsequent phases of usable and meaningful assistive technology development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
E A Draffan ◽  
Abi James ◽  
Mike Wald ◽  
Amal Idris

Purpose – A number of participatory research methodologies can be used to assist with developing assistive technologies. These methods vary in the amount that users lead and contribute to the work. Selecting the correct method can be important to ensure the overall success of the project and the engagement of users. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that can impact on the degree of user participation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers whether criteria, that might influence assistive technology (AT) selection made during an assessment of need, review or purchasing process, could also be used to clarify the appropriate strategies for user involvement when developing assistive technologies. It outlines how this approach has been applied to two research and development projects which aimed to improve AT provision within niche markets. Findings – The paper demonstrates that it is possible to apply a decision making process to selecting the best participatory research method, based on factors affecting AT need. It reports on the outcomes of the user participation in the two research and development projects and discusses how this design approach has been applied to a third project. Originality/value – By examining a possible framework for identifying appropriate user-participation approaches, this paper will aid those designing research and development AT projects, whilst encouraging user participation within similar projects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 289-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benon Muhumuza ◽  
Sudi Nangoli

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to revisit the potential of human capital development to predict commitment from an empirical perspective. This followed the fact that while organisations continue to invest a lot of resources into development of their human capital, a growing tendency of the trained staff to quickly abandon the organisation and move on to search for greener pastures has also been registered.Design/methodology/approachThis study takes a positivistic approach. It is an explanatory, cross-sectional study that is based on a case study approach.FindingsThe findings revealed that developing human resources still leads to enhanced commitment among staff. The findings provide empirical support for the tenets of the human capital development theory.Research limitations/implicationsInvestment in development of human resources is still a worthy while cause for organisations as it positively and significantly contributes to commitment.Practical implicationsWhile organisations ought to keep watch of the costs that come with human capital development endeavours the practice of developing human resources should be continued as it contributes to the organisational performance of staff.Originality/valueThe paper deepens the understanding on how human capital development is currently enhancing the commitment of organisational staff in a typical developing economy and sector. Such knowledge provides a clear basis for allocating resources on people development endeavours.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Godwin

PurposeUncertainty over ethical impact may hinder uptake of assistive technology (AT) in dementia. This study aims to examine whether AT contributes to person‐centred care, whether users can participate in research and to explore ethical dilemmas with users, family and professional carers.Design/methodology/approachPeople with dementia, at home or in residential care, and carers were allocated equipment and consulted about ethics. In a small, qualitative study, data were collected using semi‐structured interviews and vignettes and content‐analysed to establish themes.FindingsAT in person‐centred dementia care requires meticulous assessment, reliability and availability in rapidly evolving situations. Users displayed insight, logic and empathy in ethical evaluation. They disliked remote monitoring and surveillance, whereas carers were pragmatic, prioritising safety.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides further evidence that users with dementia can be included in research. It demonstrates a significant potential role for AT in dementia care, with an ethical checklist to help professionals evaluate ethical dilemmas.Originality/valueAT potentially increases wellbeing, enabling users to remain longer at home, delaying or avoiding moves to or between homes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1084-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Fleming ◽  
Nitin Purandare

ABSTRACTBackground: A large and growing number of people with dementia are being cared for in long-term care. The empirical literature on the design of environments for people with dementia contains findings that can be helpful in the design of these environments. A schema developed by Marshall in 2001 provides a means of reviewing the literature against a set of recommendations. The aims of this paper are to assess the strength of the evidence for these recommendations and to identify those recommendations that could be used as the basis for guidelines to assist in the design of long term care facilities for people with dementia.Methods: The literature was searched for articles published after 1980, evaluating an intervention utilizing the physical environment, focused on the care of people with dementia and incorporating a control group, pre-test-post-test, cross sectional or survey design. A total of 156 articles were identified as relevant and subjected to an evaluation of their methodological strength. Of these, 57 articles were identified as being sufficiently strong to be reviewed.Results: Designers may confidently use unobtrusive safety measures; vary ambience, size and shape of spaces; provide single rooms; maximize visual access; and control levels of stimulation. There is less agreement on the usefulness of signage, homelikeness, provision for engagement in ordinary activities, small size and the provision of outside space.Conclusions: There is sufficient evidence available to come to a consensus on guiding principles for the design of long term environments for people with dementia.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Kate Todd

Purpose – The purpose of this article was to summarize the author's presentation about improving library services to people with disabilities made at the 2014 Texas Library Association annual conference. Design/methodology/approach – She uses expertise developed teaching face-to-face and online course about assistive technologies and library services for patrons with disabilities. Findings – Topics covered include early approaches to library accessibility, sample assistive technology applications for iPad, iPhone or Android and suggestions for developing a plan for improving services. Practical implications – Readers are encourages to evaluate the current level of services and develop plans for improvement. Social implications – An increasing number of patrons with disabilities are visiting public, school, college and university libraries. Librarians want to provide the best possible service. Information and recommendations from this article will provide assistance. Original/value – This conference provided a wonderful opportunity for sharing and planning with other librarians.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Pappadà ◽  
Rabih Chattat ◽  
Ilaria Chirico ◽  
Marco Valente ◽  
Giovanni Ottoboni

Objectives: Technology can assist and support both people with dementia (PWD) and caregivers. Recently, technology has begun to embed remote components. Timely with respect to the pandemic, the present work reviews the most recent literature on technology in dementia contexts together with the newest studies about technological support published until October 2020. The final aim is to provide a synthesis of the timeliest evidence upon which clinical and non-clinical decision-makers can rely to make choices about technology in the case of further pandemic waves.Methods: A review of reviews was performed alongside a review of the studies run during the first pandemic wave. PsycInfo, CINAHL, and PubMed-online were the databases inspected for relevant papers published from January 2010.Results: The search identified 420 articles, 30 of which were reviews and nine of which were new studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Studies were first sorted according to the target population, then summarized thematically in a narrative synthesis. The studies targeting technologies for PWD were categorized as follows: monitoring and security purposes, sustaining daily life, and therapeutic interventions. Each category showed potential benefits. Differently, the interventions for caregivers were classified as informative, psycho-education programs, psychosocial-supportive, therapeutic, and cognitive/physical training. Benefits to mental health, skills learning, and social aspects emerged.Conclusions: The evidence shows that technology is well-accepted and can support PWD and caregivers to bypass physical and environmental problems both during regular times and during future pandemic waves. Nevertheless, the lack of a common methodological background is revealed by this analysis. Further and more standardized research is necessary to improve the implementation of technologies in everyday life while respecting the necessary personalization.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell Scovell ◽  
Connar McShane ◽  
Anne Swinbourne

Purpose Cyclone preparedness activities can significantly reduce household-related property damage and the negative knock-on effects. Research has found, however, that many people do not perform these behaviours. It is, therefore, important to understand why some people do, and others do not, perform such behaviours. This paper aims to investigate whether a commonly applied psychological theory of behaviour change can explain cyclone-specific preparedness behaviour. Design/methodology/approach This study used a cross-sectional survey design to examine the relationship between demographic factors, cyclone experience, psychological factors and preparedness behaviour. Informed by the protection motivation theory (PMT), it was hypothesised that perceived efficacy, perceived cost and self-efficacy would be the strongest predictors of preparedness behaviour. Data from 356 respondents living in a cyclone-prone region were analysed using multiple regression and mediation analysis with the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings In support of the hypothesis, it was found that perceived efficacy and perceived cost were the strongest psychological predictors of preparedness behaviour. Contradicting the hypothesis, however, self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of preparedness behaviour. Subsequent analysis indicated that people who have experienced cyclone damage perceive that preparedness measures are more effective for reducing damage, which, in turn, increases preparedness behaviour. Originality/value This paper provides empirical support for the application of the protective motivation theory for explaining cyclone-specific preparedness behaviour. More specifically, the results indicate that people are more likely prepare for cyclones if they perceive that preparedness activities are effective for reducing damage and are relatively inexpensive and easy to perform. The findings suggest that to promote cyclone preparedness, risk communicators need to emphasise the efficacy of preparedness and downplay the costs.


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