Assistive technology interventions for people with dementia and their care partners

Dixon and colleagues (2021) conducted interviews with 17 participants with mild to moderate dementia to understand how they used technology to manage participation in everyday activities. Participants understood the progressive nature of their condition, and found that using a future-focused approach to find effective technology (e.g., smart phones and home devices) would help them develop habits that would support them later. Participants used strategies such as storing redundant information (e.g., having an address for an event in an email and in an event reminder), getting information when needed (e.g., looking up a recipe on the Internet when starting to make it), and “outsourcing” or setting up regularly occurring memory cues (e.g., for birthdays) or automatic processes (e.g., automatic bill pay). Participants also described using technology to minimize the appearance of cognitive deficits in social contexts. Participants were aware of the need to be cautious using technology and understood that using certain technology (e.g., smart phone applications) could pose risks (e.g., nefarious links). Occupational therapy practitioners should work with people with mild and moderate dementia to develop habits and routines that incorporate technology, and ease continued participation in daily occupations and everyday activities.