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Use of the global positioning system to measure the out-of-home mobility of older adults with differing cognitive functioning
- Authors:
- SHOVAL Noam, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 31(5), July 2011, pp.849-869.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
To date, the assessment of outdoor mobility of cognitively impaired older adults relied on the reports of family care-givers and institutional staff and used observational approaches. This study aimed to find the usefulness of high-resolution data gathering using a global positioning system (GPS) device attached to 41 mildly demented, mildly cognitively impaired and healthy men and women aged 64–90 years in Tel-Aviv Israel. The participants were tracked for 28 consecutive days using a location kit that combined a GPS with radio frequency identification. The high-resolution spatial and temporal data enabled detailed analysis of the differences in the timing and distance of the participants' daily outdoor mobility patterns. It was found that the spatial range of the mobility of elderly people with cognitive impairment is severely restricted, with most out-of-home time spent in close proximity to their residences. Men were generally more mobile than women and younger participants generally spent more time out-of-home. Although this study was qualitative in nature, the authors concluded that GPS was an advanced research tool able to better record mobility in the study group than other available methods.
Design and management features of everyday technology that challenge older adults
- Authors:
- PATOMELLA Ann-Helen, KOTTORP Anders, NYGARD Louise
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(9), 2013, pp.390-398.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The management of everyday technologies could present too difficult a challenge for older adults with cognitive impairments, leading to their exclusion from participation. This study aims to identify and describe features that make everyday technologies more or less difficult for older adults, whether with or without cognitive difficulties. (Edited publisher abstract)
Older people with and without dementia participating in the development of an individual plan with digital calendar and message board
- Authors:
- HOLTHE Torhild, WALDERHAUG Stale
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 4(2), June 2010, pp.15-26.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The EU-funded project Middleware Platform for eMPOWERing older people and people with cognitive impairments (MPOWER) aims to develop a technical middleware platform that enables rapid development of flexible, domain-specific applications that can be personalised for individual use. This paper presents the findings from a proof of concept application of this platform. Seven older people and their family carers from Trondheim participated in the pilot trial (February 2008-April 2009), which aimed to evaluate the services provided through an individual internet-based digital plan displayed as a calendar page. Both family carers and staff from domiciliary services could, from their home computer, add appointments and messages on the user's digital calendar. The respondents were 5 women and 2 men, aged between 65 and 92, and only 3 of them had used a computer before. The data collection regarding use, usability, utility and acceptance took place on a regular basis after a preset schedule. The results are presented as case histories, and analysis of the causes of the observed effects are divided into personal, technical and structural issues. The main conclusion is that the digital calendar with a message board demonstrated the potential to support older people at home, particularly older people with memory problems who need support in structuring the day and keeping an overview of their daily activities and appointments.
Silver alerts and the problem of missing adults with dementia
- Authors:
- CARR Dawn, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(2), April 2010, pp.149-157.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Since the introduction of the National AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert plan used to locate missing and abducted children, Silver Alert programmes began to emerge using the same infrastructure and approach to find a different missing population – cognitively impaired older adults. By late 2008, 17 states had enacted Silver Alert policies, with more planning to take advantage of National Silver Alert grant funding to initiate policies in 2009. To date, however, no research has investigated the success of such programmes, which have widely varying parameters and criteria to initiate the alerts. In this study, the authors empirically examine the 17 existing state Silver Alert policies. The analysis includes an examination of the varieties of programmes: dementia related and AMBER extension; the dates of enactment; the criteria for activation; and the process of activation. The paper concludes with two questions that emerged from the analysis: are Silver alert programmes an appropriate solution for missing adults with dementia; and what are the financial, personal and cost-benefits of Silver Alert programmes. The authors scrutinise these questions and make recommendations for future research, including how best to balance efforts to keep cognitively impaired elders safe while keeping their basic human rights of autonomy and empowerment intact.
Autominder: a case study of assistive technology for elders with cognitive impairment
- Author:
- POLLACK Martha E.
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 30(2), Summer 2006, pp.67-69.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
Autominder is an assistive technology system developed at the University of Michigan, United States, that aims to support people with cognitive impairment by providing them with flexible, adaptive, and personalized reminders about their daily activities. This article briefly describes Autominders's capabilities.
A systematic review of smartphone and tablet use by older adults with and without cognitive impairment
- Authors:
- WILSON Samantha A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Innovation in Aging, 6(2), 2022, p.igac002.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: A systematic review was conducted to explore the use of smartphones and tablet computers as cognitive and memory aids by older adults with and without cognitive impairment, specifically the effects of smartphone and tablet use on participants’ cognition and memory, and the barriers and facilitators to smartphone and tablet use for cognitive and memory support. Research Design and Methods: A systematic search of 6 key databases found 11,895 citations published between 2010 and 2021. Studies were included if they involved community-dwelling older adults with or without cognitive impairment arising from acquired brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia, and if they evaluated everyday smartphone or tablet device use for cognition, memory, or activities of daily living. Results: A total of 28 papers were included in the narrative synthesis. There was some evidence that the use of smartphones and tablets could aid cognitive function in older adults without cognitive impairment, particularly executive function and processing speed. There was modest evidence that smartphone and tablet use could support memory in both older adults without cognitive impairment and those with acquired brain injury and dementia. Discussion and Implications: Smartphones and tablets were seen by users as acceptable, enjoyable, and nonstigmatizing alternatives to conventional assistive technology devices; however, current use of smartphone and tablet devices is hindered by the digital literacy of older adults, a lack of accommodation for older adult users' motor and sensory impairments, and a lack of input from clinicians and researchers. Much of the evidence presented in this review derives from case studies and small-scale trials of smartphone and tablet training interventions. Further research is needed into older adults' use of smartphones and tablets for cognitive support before and after the onset of cognitive impairment in order to develop effective evidence-based smart technology cognition and memory aids. (Edited publisher abstract)
Interdisciplinary development of manual and automated product usability assessments for older adults with dementia: lessons learned
- Authors:
- BOGER Jennifer, TAATI Babak, MIHAILIDIS Alex
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 11(7), 2016, pp.581-587.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
The changes in cognitive abilities that accompany dementia can make it difficult to use everyday products that are required to complete activities of daily living. Products that are inherently more usable for people with dementia could facilitate independent activity completion, thus reducing the need for caregiver assistance. The objectives of this research were to: (1) gain an understanding of how water tap design impacted tap usability and (2) create an automated computerised tool that could assess tap usability. 27 older adults, who ranged from cognitively intact to advanced dementia, completed 1309 trials on five tap designs. Data were manually analysed to investigate tap usability as well as used to develop an automated usability analysis tool. Researchers collaborated to modify existing techniques and to create novel ones to accomplish both goals. This paper presents lessons learned through the course of this research, which could be applicable in the development of other usability studies, automated vision-based assessments and the development of assistive technologies for cognitively impaired older adults. Collaborative interdisciplinary teamwork, which included older adult with dementia participants, was key to enabling innovative advances that achieved the projects' research goals. Implications for Rehabilitation: a) Products that are implicitly familiar and usable by older adults could foster independent activity completion, potentially reducing reliance on a caregiver; b) The computer-based automated tool can significantly reduce the time and effort required to perform product usability analysis, making this type of analysis more feasible; c) Interdisciplinary collaboration can result in a more holistic understanding of assistive technology research challenges and enable innovative solutions. (Edited publisher abstract)
Cognitive mobile games for memory impaired older adults
- Authors:
- MERILAMPI Sari, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 8(4), 2014, pp.207-223.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Cognitive self-rehabilitation lacks updated means and tools. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of cognitively simulating mobile games on the cognitive skills and recreation of older people with memory impairment. Design/methodology/approach: Mobile games that require cognitive skills were developed. The games were tested by memory-impaired older adults, average age of 90. Gaming interventions took place for three months on a daily basis. Game outcomes were automatically recorded and user feedback was collected by interviews. The progress of the testees was also evaluated by means of Trial Making Test A. Findings: Improvement in game scores was found. Other significant effects of game play were enhanced recreation and self-managed activity level. Game play did not have any effect on the traditional Trail Making Test results but the results of the Trail Making game showed improvement. The Trail Making game also showed a large variance in daily scores, which implies that performing just a single Trail Making Test might lead to misreading a person's condition. Research limitations/implications: The results are an encouragement for conducting further testing (on a larger test group, over a longer time) and continuing with game development for cognitively impaired older adults. A similar game trial will also be arranged for a younger population with better overall health condition. Practical implications: New business opportunities are also possible in game development and gaming services. Social implications: Games have the potential for self-rehabilitation and to support extending independent living at home. Originality/value: The paper provides a synopsis of novel cognitive recreation tools, an analysis of their effect and user feedback from professional staff as well as potential new ideas for game developers. (Publisher abstract)
Acceptance and use of innovative assistive technologies among people with cognitive impairment and their caregivers: a systematic review
- Authors:
- THORDARDOTTIR Bjorg, et al
- Journal article citation:
- BioMed Research International, 2019, Online only
- Publisher:
- Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Cognitive impairments (CI), associated with the consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, are increasingly prevalent among older adults, leading to deterioration in self-care, mobility, and interpersonal relationships among them. Innovative Assistive Technologies (IAT) such as electronic reminders and surveillance systems are considered as increasingly important tools to facilitate independence among this population and their caregivers. The aim of this study is to synthesise knowledge on facilitators and barriers related to acceptance of and use of IAT among people with CI and their caregivers. This systematic review includes original papers with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods design. Relevant peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2007 and 2017 were retrieved in the following databases: CINAHL; PubMed; Inspec; and PsycINFO. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used for quality assessment. We retrieved thirty studies, including in total 1655 participants from Europe, USA/Canada, Australia, and Asia, enrolled in their homes, care-residences, day-care centres, or Living Labs. Two-thirds of the studies tested technologies integrating home sensors and wearable devices for care and monitoring CI symptoms. Main facilitators for acceptance and adherence to IAT were familiarity with and motivation to use technologies, immediate perception of effectiveness (e.g., increase in safety perceptions), and low technical demands. Barriers identified included older age, low maturity of the IAT, little experience with technologies in general, lack of personalization, and support. More than 2/3 of the studies met 80% of the quality criteria of the MMAT. Low acceptance and use of IAT both independently and with caregivers remains a significant concern. More knowledge on facilitators and barriers to use of IAT among clients of health care and social services is crucial for the successful implementation of innovative programmes aiming to leverage innovative technologies for the independence of older people with CI. (Edited publisher abstract)