TY - JOUR
T1 - The contrasting role of technology as both supportive and hindering in the everyday lives of people with mild cognitive deficits
T2 - A focus group study
AU - Lindqvist, Eva
AU - Perssonvasiliou, Annika
AU - Hwang, Amy S.
AU - Mihailidis, Alex
AU - Astelle, Arlene
AU - Sixsmith, Andrew
AU - Nygård, Louise
N1 - Funding Information:
The study is a part of the AAL-WELL project (Ambient Assistive Living Technologies for Wellness, Engagement, and Long Life) within the ERA-AGE2 framework, including research groups from Sweden, the UK and Canada. The project is funded by The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE) and the Strategic Research Programme in Care Sciences at Karolinska Institutet, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through the ERA-AGE2 program, and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in the UK.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author(s).
PY - 2018/8/17
Y1 - 2018/8/17
N2 - Background: It is well known that people with mild cognitive deficits face challenges when performing complex everyday activities, and that the use of technology has become increasingly interwoven with everyday activities. However, less is known of how technology might be involved, either as a support or hindrance, in different areas of everyday life and of the environments where challenges appear. The aim of this study was to investigate the areas of concern where persons with cognitive deficits meet challenges in everyday life, in what environments these challenges appear and how technology might be involved as part of the challenge and/or the solution to the challenge. Methods: Data were gathered through four focus group interviews with participants that live with cognitive deficits or cohabit with a person with cognitive deficits, plus health professionals and researchers in the field. Data were transcribed, coded and categorized, and finally synthesized to trace out the involvement of technology. Results: Five areas of concern in everyday life were identified as offering challenges to persons with cognitive deficits: A) Managing personal finances, B) Getting around, C) Meeting family and friends, D) Engaging with culture and media and, E) Doing everyday chores. Findings showed that the involvement of technology in everyday activities was often contrastive. It could be hindering and evoke stress, or it could bring about feelings of control; that is, being a part of the solution. The involvement of technology was especially obvious in challenges linked to Managing personal finances, which is a crucial necessity in many everyday activities. In contrast, technology was least obviously involved in the area Socializing with family and friends. Conclusions: The findings imply that technology used for orientation and managing finances, often used outside home, would benefit from being further developed in order to be more supportive; i.e. accessible and usable. To make a positive change for many people, the ideas of inclusive design fit well for this purpose and would contribute to an age-friendly society.
AB - Background: It is well known that people with mild cognitive deficits face challenges when performing complex everyday activities, and that the use of technology has become increasingly interwoven with everyday activities. However, less is known of how technology might be involved, either as a support or hindrance, in different areas of everyday life and of the environments where challenges appear. The aim of this study was to investigate the areas of concern where persons with cognitive deficits meet challenges in everyday life, in what environments these challenges appear and how technology might be involved as part of the challenge and/or the solution to the challenge. Methods: Data were gathered through four focus group interviews with participants that live with cognitive deficits or cohabit with a person with cognitive deficits, plus health professionals and researchers in the field. Data were transcribed, coded and categorized, and finally synthesized to trace out the involvement of technology. Results: Five areas of concern in everyday life were identified as offering challenges to persons with cognitive deficits: A) Managing personal finances, B) Getting around, C) Meeting family and friends, D) Engaging with culture and media and, E) Doing everyday chores. Findings showed that the involvement of technology in everyday activities was often contrastive. It could be hindering and evoke stress, or it could bring about feelings of control; that is, being a part of the solution. The involvement of technology was especially obvious in challenges linked to Managing personal finances, which is a crucial necessity in many everyday activities. In contrast, technology was least obviously involved in the area Socializing with family and friends. Conclusions: The findings imply that technology used for orientation and managing finances, often used outside home, would benefit from being further developed in order to be more supportive; i.e. accessible and usable. To make a positive change for many people, the ideas of inclusive design fit well for this purpose and would contribute to an age-friendly society.
KW - Dementia
KW - Environment
KW - Mild cognitive impairment
KW - Older adults
KW - Support
KW - Technology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85051657040&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12877-018-0879-z
DO - 10.1186/s12877-018-0879-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 30119653
AN - SCOPUS:85051657040
SN - 1471-2318
VL - 18
JO - BMC Geriatrics
JF - BMC Geriatrics
IS - 1
M1 - 185
ER -