Applying guidelines for evaluating digital technologies for people living with dementia: A case study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Assistive Technology
• Dementia Care

Background:

• Growing dementia population requires affordable solutions for independent living.
• Assistive technology (AT) shows promise but needs user-centered design and evaluation.
• Existing AT research lacks consistent evaluation methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• Propose novel evaluation (trial) guidelines for AT designed for people with dementia.
• Ensure consistency and rigor in testing AT products with end-users.
• Provide a framework for assessing the effectiveness of AT in supporting independence.

Main Methods:

• Developed trial protocol guidance for evaluating assistive technology.
• Applied the proposed guidelines to an existing evaluation protocol as a case study.
• Highlighted differences between the new guidelines and the existing protocol.

Main Results:

• The case study demonstrated the potential usefulness of the guidelines in informing AT evaluations.
• Differences identified indicate areas where guidelines can improve consistency.
• The application highlighted the need for further refinement of the proposed framework.

Conclusions:

• The proposed guidelines offer a valuable tool for consistent and effective evaluation of assistive technology for dementia.
• International collaboration is planned to further develop and refine the guidelines into an accessible resource.
• Standardized evaluation is crucial for advancing the development of supportive AT for people with dementia.