Abstract
Borrowing principles from total quality management and the emerging consumer-satisfaction movement in the field of ageing, we explored how technology might assist family members who are caring at home for a relative with dementia. In Phase 1, focus groups with a total of 26 current and former caregivers revealed that as caregivers and the relatives for whom they care struggle to maintain continuity of roles, relationships, and lifestyles, safety is a key concern. Despite the limited use by some caregivers of “low-tech” tools (e.g., door alarms, intercoms), caregivers lack a comprehensive system to enhance their relatives’ safety. In Phase 2, we identified an Internet-based monitoring system to address caregivers’ major concerns. In Phase 3, focus groups with eight caregivers evaluated the system that was identified in Phase 2. Results suggest that affordable technologies exist to assist family caregivers, and that these caregivers were amenable to the use of these technologies.
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Dr. Kinney’s research focuses on caregiving within later-life families. She is co-author (with Cary Kart) on the sixth edition of the textbook The Realities of Aging.
His research focuses on health and aging, and he recently completed a National Institute of Aging funded project on diabetes and self-care. His work has appeared in Social Forces, the Journal of Gerontology, The Gerontologist, and the Journal of Aging and Health, among other journals.
Her research interests include the use of technology by older adults and the financial impact of caregiving on the family.
She received her Bachelors of Health Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Florida in 1990. Her Occupational Therapy career has focused on patient treatment and program development, with an emphasis on dementia intervention, and management in the long-term care setting.
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Kinney, J.M., Kart, C.S., Murdoch, L.D. et al. Challenges in caregiving and creative solutions: Using technology to facilitate caring for a relative with dementia. Ageing International 28, 295–313 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-002-1009-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-002-1009-x