“It gives me a sense of independence” – Findings from Ireland on the use and usefulness of assistive technology for people with dementia

Abstract

This work reports Irish data emerging from the ENABLE study which trialled assistive technologies in the homes of people with dementia across five European countries and assessed their use and usefulness. The aim of this paper is to report findings on i) whether new prototype technologies could be used and were considered useful by people with dementia and their primary caregivers, ii) whether any technical difficulties were experienced by families while trialling these products, iii) whether these technologies could be better refined, and (iv) whether these products would be financially viable on the open market. Findings showed that in general, most devices trialled were used and were considered useful by people with dementia. Apart from the night lamp, each of the other devices trialled was also used and considered useful by most primary caregivers. With the exception of the night lamp which was an entirely passive device, other devices often needed a carer present to remind the person with dementia to use the product. This occurred in about 50% of cases trialling the calendar, 33% trialling the telephone, and 80% trialling the locator. Caregivers were willing to pay most for devices which they considered useful and which required active participation, such as the picture telephone and the item locator.