Cross-sectional survey on independent mobility of people with dementia: a caregivers' perspective

Dementia significantly impairs cognitive function and severely affects daily living activities. To support independent mobility in older adults and individuals with dementia, home modification strategies, such as safety adaptations, have been identified as critical interventions.

To explore caregivers' perspectives on the potentials of digital interventions in enhancing independent mobility for PwD in mild to moderate stages of the condition. The aim is to determine if digital intervention could help PwD to effectively use existing home safety interventions and to safely move around their environment.

A cross-sectional survey was used to gather insights from 121 professional caregivers and family members providing care for PwD. Participants aged 18 years and above were eligible for inclusion. Responses were analysed using R software, employing descriptive statistics, contingency tables, and graphical charts. χ² tests (p<0.05) assessed the relationships between categorical variables, with Cramér's V measuring association strength (weak relationship if ≤0.30). Cronbach's alpha demonstrated reliability for mobility factors (0.87, 95%CI 0.810-0.908).

The study revealed that PwD made limited use of existing home safety interventions, with statistically significant findings (p<0.05) across the four mobility factors evaluated. This indicates that the effectiveness of these interventions could be undermined particularly for individuals living alone.

The study found that digital interventions can support PwD in using existing home safety interventions and navigating their environments more independently. It could help the target population know when and how to these interventions thereby increasing the overall goal of their implementations.