The design of intelligent in-home assistive technologies: Assessing the needs of older adults with dementia and their caregivers

Objective: To determine the needs of older adults with dementia and their family caregivers during Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and the role of intelligent assistive technology (AT) in supporting these needs. Methods: An 85 item questionnaire was administered to family caregivers of older adults with dementia exploring: (i) challenging ADL for an older adult with dementia to complete independently, (ii) difficult ADL for a caregiver to assist, (iii) the role of AT supporting ADL completion, and (iv) the features and functions of in-home AT designed to support ADL. Results: Respondents (n=106) indicated the person they care for has partial ability to complete ADL, that private tasks (e.g., showering) are difficult to assist, and that AT designed to support ADL must be autonomous, familiar, simple and unobtrusive. Respondents also showed little knowledge of existing AT that support ADL. Conclusions: Designers of AT should focus on supporting caregivers and older adults with dementia in the completion of private and personal ADL.