Abstract
Background
In recent years, assistive products for cognition (APC) have been developed as a means of helping people with dementia to continue independent living as long as possible. However, APC are not widely recognized and there have been few research reports in Japan. The purpose of this study was to clarify the usage and recognition of APC, and to propose solutions for their widespread use.
Methods
A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on the primary caregivers of older adults with cognitive decline. Informed consent was implied by the completion and submission of the questionnaire, which included an explanation of the study purpose and procedures.
Results
The results indicated that approximately 80% of participants had no prior experience using APC. A comparative analysis based on caregiver age groups revealed that awareness of APC was higher among younger caregivers than older ones. Furthermore, younger caregivers demonstrated a greater willingness to propose the use of APC to older adults compared to their older counterparts. Over 80% of caregivers agreed that awareness of APC would increase if more recommendations were made by social workers or medical professionals.
Conclusions
To enhance awareness of APC, it is essential to tailor both the content and methods of information delivery to the specific needs of the target population, taking into account the ages of older adults and their caregivers.
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