Technology aimed at older adults living with dementia has made a difference in that cohort’s ability to continue to socialize and to maintain a successful daily routine, according to a new meta-analysis.
A recent review analyzed the existing body of literature around “digital assistive technology,” a broad category that encompasses everything from smartphone apps to robots, designed to aid the growing population of older adults living with dementia.
The need for additional resources to aid with dementia has become crucial as the population with cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s, has risen much faster than senior living and care providers, who are dealing with an industry-wide staffing crisis, can address the issue.
Many senior living communities that lack specialized care are seeing more and more residents with Alzheimer’s residents, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News reported last year. The Alzheimer’s Association has implored the federal government to step in to help develop an assisted living/dementia care workforce in January, McKnight’s Senior Living reported. More than 42% of assisted living residents, more than 45% of nursing home residents and more than 35% of home health agency clients have dementia diagnoses, according to the federal government.
According to a summary of the DAT review in LeadingAge, the major categories in which such technology can help include:
- Preserving autonomy and dignity
- Improving daily living activities
- Fostering social interaction
- Monitoring health
One major goal of the meta-review was to try to ascertain what gaps exist in research about particular categories of technology and what future studies should look at, the investigators said.
Of the research the report evaluated, the overwhelming majority focused on resident/patient monitoring and digital therapeutics, which the study authors defined as “health software designed to treat or alleviate a specific disease or medical condition by generating and delivering a medical intervention.”
Although the studies reviewed seemed to overwhelmingly demonstrate the validity of assistive tech tools and their ability to assist older adults who are living with dementia, a handful of reports indicated some seniors responded with anxiety and aggression toward technology, although the study authors didn’t specify what might cause those negative results.
Instead, the investigators indicated that future research needs to narrow down the cause of such outlier responses as well as look at the growing role of artificial intelligence.
“Future research, in the context of voice assistants and advancements in large language models, would be of importance,” the study authors concluded. “They facilitate the development of an interface that is more intuitive and natural, without demanding a high degree of dexterity.”
The study was published recently in the journal BMJ.
