The impact of autonomy at work on dementia family carers’ ability to manage care-related emergencies, and use technology to that end: semi-structured interviews in Scotland

Spann, Alice; Allard, Camille; Harvey, Annie-Claude; Zwerger, Katherine; Spreeuwenberg, Marieke; Hawley, Mark; Witte, Luc de

doi:10.1080/13668803.2022.2117589

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In contrast, only a minority of participants described the usefulness of accessible “dementia clocks” and formal telecare and care-phone systems for monitoring and managing dementia symptoms and communication functions, despite a prime intended purpose to support dementia care. Participants’ tendency to gravitate towards mainstream ICT confirms earlier studies, which reported that the multifunctionality and practicality of smartphones, tablet computers and videoconferencing applications enabled carers to balance their personal needs with those related to the person they care for ( Caprioli et al, 2023 ; Spann et al, 2022 ; Sriram et al, 2021 ). Also observed, was how unpaid carers turned to an array of improvised mainstream ICT solutions because they were mostly unaware of accessible and formal alternatives ( Brookman et al, 2023 ; Gibson et al, 2019 ; Sriram et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…In concordance with previous research, several participants mentioned their reliance on ICT to access dementia-care information and to facilitate connections with the person they cared for, formal care agencies, and their personal social networks (Gross et al, 2021;Núñez-Naveira et al, 2016). Participants also shed light on how their ICT-use supported IADLs such as shopping and banking, which increased sharply during the pandemic, mirroring similar discussions elsewhere (Chirico et al, 2022;Gibson et al, 2019;Hicks et al, 2023;Spann et al, 2022). Some further mentioned the convenience of using ICT for organising their personal routines, for administering financial and legal matters and for reducing travel to face-to-face appointments.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Volunteer organisations such as Carers UK (2023), Centre for Ageing Better (2024) and Age UK (2024) offer helpful information and digital skills training to unpaid carers and older people with access to the Internet. Nevertheless, our findings emphasise the need for early, and sustained, postdiagnosis dementia support (Gregg et al, 2021;Hicks et al, 2023), which includes signposting technologies that potentially provide personalised, timely assistance to families living with dementia in accordance with their changing circumstances and individual goals (Gross et al, 2021;Howard et al, 2020;Spann et al, 2022;Sriram et al, 2021). This also represents an opportunity for local governments to work jointly with the voluntary sector to provide comprehensive brokerage-type services about the range of ICT products and services available, and to offer bespoke training about how to identify, obtain and use the ICT that would optimally serve their circumstances (Gibson et al, 2019;Leslie et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Most participants further cited gaining peace of mind from using all types of ICT to support caregiving (Caprioli et al, 2023;Chirico et al, 2022;Gibson et al, 2015;Hicks et al, 2023;Knapp et al, 2015). Also in line with (Hicks et al, 2023), some commented that such reassurance also granted them brief moments of respite and independence (Hicks et al, 2023), while others mentioned that using tracking devices and smartphones for remote monitoring functions helped assuage concerns about undertaking activities away from the home, such as paid employment (Gibson et al, 2015;Spann et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such approaches could improve the acceptability to carers of relevant ICT, sustain their use for a longer period, empower carers to develop new skills and support networks, and reduce the need for supplementary paid care services ( Gross et al, 2021 ; Hales & Fossey, 2018 ; Hicks et al, 2023 ; Howard et al, 2020 ; Núñez-Naveira et al, 2016 ; Rai et al, 2020 ; Wilson et al, 2024 ). Furthermore, expanded investment in collaborative user-developer research and knowledge sharing programmes could improve the understanding of how ICT can support care as well as contribute to carers’ continued participation in the economy, their social lives and civic society ( Spann et al, 2022 ), which is an important objective for society as a whole.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unpaid carers of people with dementia and information communication technology: Use, impact and ideas for the future

Damant,

Freddolino,

Dangoor

et al. 2024

Dementia

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Objectives Several 100,000s of people living with dementia in the UK are cared for at home by a spouse or relative. Few studies have considered the ICT needs and experiences of unpaid carers. This study explores the types of ICT unpaid carers use, the ways they use ICT, the impact of ICT-use, and their ideas for how ICT could be more supportive of their role as a carer. Methods Six focus groups with 32 unpaid carers of people living with dementia discussed their experiences of – and barriers to – using ICT. Transcripts were analysed thematically according to three types of ICT (mainstream, accessible and formal) and five functions (supporting domestic tasks, care management, monitoring, communication and information and education). Results Participants predominantly used mainstream ICT devices such as laptops and smartphones and internet-enabled applications including videoconferencing and social media platforms to support their daily activities and assist them in their caring role. A few participants discussed using accessible devices such as memory clocks and formal telecare and care-phone services for care management and monitoring functions. Participants’ ideas for improvements centred on personalised communication applications that facilitate remote interactions and promote persons living with dementia’s independence. Others expressed concerns about the growing need to use ICT to access formal care services and the inadequacy of the ICT infrastructure in some care homes. Conclusions Unpaid carers mostly turn to readily available mainstream ICT to support their personal and care activities. Further research is required to understand the social impact of the increasing reliance of ICT across health, social and residential care service sectors. Improved cooperation between unpaid carers, technology developers and care services providers could align ICT development to the needs and experiences of families living with dementia and assist unpaid carers with identifying ICTs that optimally support their personal circumstances.

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