Beyond instrumental support: Mobile application use by family caregivers of persons living with dementia

Apr 13, 2022Dementia (London, England)

How family caregivers of people with dementia use mobile apps beyond basic help

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Abstract

Five family caregivers in Ontario participated in two interviews exploring their experiences using mobile applications in dementia caregiving.

Apps are associated with enhancing interpersonal connections between caregivers and care recipients.
The use of apps may promote a sense of personhood for individuals living with dementia.
Family caregivers reported that apps can help sustain family routines.
The findings suggest that the value of apps extends beyond their basic functionality.
Insights gained could inform future research, policy, education, and app development related to dementia caregiving.

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In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in technology use in dementia caregiving, particularly the use of mobile applications (apps) which are highly accessible, cost-effective and intuitive. Yet, little is known about the experiences of family caregivers of persons living with dementia who use apps to support caregiving activities. This is of particular concern given that limited understandings of the user experience in designing technology have often led to end-users experiencing barriers in technology adoption and use. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of family caregivers of persons living with dementia on using apps in their caregiving roles. A purposive sample of five family caregivers in Ontario, Canada participated in two interviews each, with the second interview informed by photo-elicitation methods. Thematic analysis of the collected data revealed a central overarching theme,, which explicated how apps played an important role in the lives of the caregiver, the care recipient and both together as a dyad. Three core themes also emerged:and. The findings highlighted that the value of apps extends beyond their mere functionality and their ability to help with care provision as they are also able to promote richer interpersonal connections, enhance personhood and sustain family routines. This research advances our understanding of the impact of app use in caregiving and provides direction for future research, policy, education, practice and app development. Connecting to support through apps in my, your and our lives Adapting apps to meet individual needs of the dyad, Minimising the impact of the condition on the person and the family Determining the effectiveness of apps

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Beyond instrumental support: Mobile application use by family caregivers of persons living with dementia

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