PO1.12. Exploring views and needs of (in)formal caregivers towards unobtrusive monitoring in home-based dementia care
WREDE Christian, BRAAKMAN-JANSEN Annemarie, VAN GEMERT-PIJNEN Lisette Centre for eHealth & Wellbeing Research, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
Background: Extended independent living of people with dementia (PwD) may not only yield immense emotional benefits but also puts more pressure on the (in)formal care network. Novel eHealth-approaches have been developed to delay institutionalization and provide support in home-based dementia care. One innovative approach is unobtrusive in-home monitoring of lifestyle, health and safety using non-wearable sensors (such as Wifi-, radar- or acoustic-based systems) that do not interfere with daily life of PwD. As these technologies develop rapidly it seems essential to keep track of potential users’ needs and attitudes as they too can be expected to change with time. This study therefore aimed to explore the views and needs of informal and formal caregivers of independently living PwD towards unobtrusive in-home monitoring.
Method: We included 35 participants in total. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with informal caregivers of independently living PwD (n=19); focusgroups were held with home care professionals (n=16). Both sets of participants were presented with examples of unobtrusive in-home monitoring, followed by questions targeting expected benefits, barriers, needs and privacy concerns. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to derive themes and categories.
Results: The top 5 desired monitoring targets among both groups included falls, circadian rhythm, noctural unrest, eating and personal hygiene. Most dominant benefits included reassurance, better reaction to care needs and the objectivity of monitoring data. Most dominant barriers included attention theft, questionable utility of monitoring in certain cases and the fear of replacing human contact by technology. Privacy concerns appeared to be less of an issue than anticipated. Most participants expressed they would accept a trade-off between privacy vs. the feeling of safety.
Conclusion: The study showed that unobtrusive in-home monitoring brings along new expected benefits and barriers. Potential developers should therefore create tools for helping caregivers and patients in making informed decisions in the future.
