How is Prospective Memory Used to Complete Instrumental Activities of Daily Living? Examining the Topic Through Focus Groups with Older Adults: Pilot Results

Abstract

A key goal of many older adults is to maintain an independent lifestyle, but in order to live independently in the community, it is necessary that older adults are able to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Many IADLs require the use of prospective memory (PM), however the research documenting the specific PM tasks people encounter when performing IADLs is scant. The current paper describes a proposed study and lessons learned from a pilot study aimed at narrowing the gap in the literature, by identifying common PM tasks older adults encounter when performing IADLs. Specifically, we aim to 1) identify PM tasks older adults must remember and those they forget when performing IADLs, 2) describe the nature of the PM tasks, 3) pinpoint memory aids that are used to help remember the PM tasks, and 4) offer human factors design recommendations based on our findings to help improve memory aids and decrease forgetting.