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Background Many older adults choose to live independently in their homes for as long as possible, despite psychosocial and medical conditions that compromise their independence in daily living and safety. Faced with unprecedented challenges in allocating resources, home care administrators are increasingly open to using monitoring technologies known as ambient assisted living (AAL) to better support care recipients. To be effective, these technologies should be able to report clinically relevant changes to support decision making at an individual level. Objective The aim of this study is to examine the concurrent validity of AAL monitoring reports and information gathered by care professionals using triangulation. Methods This longitudinal single-case study spans over 490 days of monitoring a 90-year-old woman with Alzheimer disease receiving support from local health care services. A clinical nurse in charge of her health and social care was interviewed 3 times during the project. Linear mixed models for repeated measures were used to analyze each daily activity (ie, sleep, outing activities, periods of low mobility, cooking-related activities, hygiene-related activities). Significant changes observed in data from monitoring reports were compared with information gathered by the care professional to explore concurrent validity. Results Over time, the monitoring reports showed evolving trends in the care recipient’s daily activities. Significant activity changes occurred over time regarding sleep, outings, cooking, mobility, and hygiene-related activities. Although the nurse observed some trends, the monitoring reports highlighted information that the nurse had not yet identified. Most trends detected in the monitoring reports were consistent with the clinical information gathered by the nurse. In addition, the AAL system detected changes in daily trends following an intervention specific to meal preparation. Conclusions Overall, trends identified by AAL monitoring are consistent with clinical reports. They help answer the nurse’s questions and help the nurse develop interventions to maintain the care recipient at home. These findings suggest the vast potential of AAL technologies to support health care services and aging in place by providing valid and clinically relevant information over time regarding activities of daily living. Such data are essential when other sources yield incomplete information for decision making.

Introduction Occupational therapists promote safety and autonomy of older adults with cognitive impairments. A technology, named COOK, offers support on a touch screen installed next to the stove to support task performance while correcting risky behaviors. We aimed to document (1) the functional profiles according the diagnosis (2) the types of interventions used to increase autonomy in the kitchen (3) the facilitators and obstacles to the implementation of COOK with this clientele. Methods Four focus groups were conducted with occupational therapists ( n = 24) and were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis, including coding and matrix building. Results Occupational therapists identified different (1) functional profiles and (2) interventions for both diagnoses. The use of COOK (3) could be more beneficial in mild cognitive impairment, as many barriers occur for the use in Alzheimer’s disease. Some parameters, such as digital control of the stove and complex information management, need to be simplified. Discussion According to occupational therapists, this technology is particularly applicable to people with mild cognitive impairment, because this population has better learning abilities. Conclusion This study documented the specific needs of older adults with cognitive impairments as well as interventions used by occupational therapists. The perspectives of caregivers should be captured in future research.

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Background: Social participation is an important aspect of health and well-being across the lifespan, but older adults might encounter some barriers, which has been highlighted in the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, where technology has become the primary way to maintain contact with family and friends. In fact, technology can serve both as a facilitator and barrier to social participation in later life, and this issue needs to be further understood. Aim: To identify the barriers and facilitators encountered by older adults in using technology to promote social participation. Methods: A systematic review was conducted. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, written in English or French, included participants 50 years or older, included technology to promote social participation, and reported potential barriers or facilitators regarding such technologies. Four databases were included: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO and, ERIC. Each study was reviewed by two independent reviewers. The quality of the study was appraised using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. Results: Seventeen studies were included in this report. Four main themes emerged from the data: perceived benefits of the technology, self-confidence and knowledge about using the technology efficiently and safely, affordability of the technology, and ability of the technology to adapt to the physical and cognitive declines in later life. Conclusion: These findings can help health care professionals to make better decisions when deciding to recommend technology for their older clients. ä IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Acceptance of technology to promote social participation in later life is a multi-complex process. There is no "one size fits all" approach, a person-centered intervention must be used. When introducing new technologies, using an adapted/tailored training approach could potentially increase self-efficacy in using technology. Rehabilitation professionals' misconceptions concerning the use of technology in later life can be a barrier to acceptance. It's important to be aware of our own believes and attitudes in this context.

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