Optimizing Technology-Based Prompts for Supporting People Living With Dementia in Completing Activities of Daily...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Assistive Technology

Background:

• Assistive technology offers accessible solutions for home-based dementia care.
• Technology-based prompting shows potential for supporting daily living activities for individuals with dementia.
• Limited research directly compares prompt features for optimal assistive technology design.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate tablet-based prompt features that best assist people with dementia in completing daily living activities at home.
• Measure prompt effectiveness and gather user feedback from individuals with dementia and their care partners.

Main Methods:

• Developed a specialized iPad app for extended data collection with people with dementia at home.
• Conducted 3 experiments varying visual (text, icon, photo) and audio (none, symbolic, verbal) prompts for single-step tasks.
• Tested prompt breakdown (1, 3, 7 prompts) for multistep tasks and compared initiation/maintenance alerts (auditory tone vs. tone + verbal instruction).
• Collected qualitative feedback from participants and care partners on technology usefulness and desired features.

Main Results:

• Audible verbal instructions were more effective for task completion than visual or tone-based prompts.
• More granular task breakdowns generally improved usefulness and independent use, with individual variability.
• Maintenance alerts (voice/text) increased task persistence, but initiation often still required caregiver support.

Conclusions:

• Findings inform assistive technology developers on design features that enhance the usefulness of home prompting systems for people with dementia.
• User preferences and insights from people with dementia and their care partners are crucial for effective assistive technology design.