Everyday technology use among older adults in Sweden and Portugal

Everyday technology use among people with Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVES

To explore the relevance of and ability to use everyday technology (ET) among people with Parkinson's Disease (PD) and to explore associations between ET use and global cognition and motor ability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cross-sectional data was collected from 34 people with PD using the Short Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire+ (S-ETUQ+), the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

RESULTS

Out of 41 ETs in the S-ETUQ+, the mean number perceived as relevant was 27.5 (min-max 19-35, SD 3.6). A good ability to use ET was reported where many ETs had a challenge measure below participants' ability to use them. A strong positive correlation between the ability to use ET and global cognition (MoCA) (r = .676, p = <0.01) was shown.

CONCLUSIONS

ET use has become integrated into everyday life and is important for participation. This study showed a high relevance of and good ability to use ET and a correlation between ET use and global cognition among people with mild-moderate PD. Evaluation and support to use ET in PD are important for maintaining independence and participation, especially among those with cognitive decline.

Enacting citizenship through participation in a technological society: a longitudinal three-year study among people with dementia in Sweden

The role of Everyday Technology (ET) use is presented as subsidiary or neutral in policy for age- and dementia-friendly communities; and yet, research suggests that older people, especially those with dementia, experience increased challenges using ET in their everyday lives. Through the lens of micro-citizenship, the study aims to deepen the knowledge about how use of ET outside the home, including portable ETs, relates to participation in places visited within public space among people with dementia over time. Using a longitudinal study design, 35 people with dementia were recruited at baseline and followed over three years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using standardised questionnaires: the Participation in ACTivities and Places OUTside Home Questionnaire (ACT-OUT) and the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ). Random intercept modelling and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Throughout the three-year study, decreasing use of ET outside the home, including portable ETs, was associated with decreasing participation in places visited within public space, in a statistically significant way when controlling for age (F = 7.59, p = 0.01). The findings indicate that facilitating access and use of ET outside the home, among people with dementia, should be integral to promoting and maintaining participation in age- and dementia-friendly communities.

Using Everyday Technology Independently When Living with Forgetfulness: Experiences of Older Adults in Barcelona

Older adults living with forgetfulness encounter difficulties when engaging with changing and dynamic everyday technology (ET). The capability to use ET is important for independence in later life and is affected by the contextual and individual characteristics of older adults. Using the capability approach as a theoretical lens, this phenomenological study aims to explore the experiences of older adults living with forgetfulness, in order to identify contextual and individual factors that facilitate the use of ET in everyday life. A qualitative methodology was used to interview 16 community-dwelling older adults participating in memory and technology workshops at local community centres in Barcelona. Findings show that motivation and openness to learning played a facilitating role in our participants’ use of ET. The presence of social support in the form of “technology experts” and community centres offering learning opportunities were also enhancing factors that encourage independence when engaging with ET. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the importance of expanding intergenerational ET learning opportunities, through the creation of age-friendly spaces.

Perceived risks, concession travel pass access and everyday technology use for out-of-home participation: cross-sectional interviews among older people in the UK

Background

The health-promoting qualities of participation as an opportunity for social and cognitive engagement are well known. Use of Everyday Technology such as Smartphones or ATMs, as enabling or disabling factors for out-of-home participation is however under-researched, particularly among older people with and without dementia. Out-of-home participation involves participation in places and activities outside of a person’s home, in public space. Situated within the context of an increasingly technological society, the study investigated factors such as perceived risks, access to a concession travel pass and use of Everyday Technologies, and their relationship with out-of-home participation, among older people in the UK.

Methods

One hundred twenty-eight older people with and without dementia in urban and rural environments in the UK, were interviewed using the Participation in ACTivities and Places OUTside Home (ACT-OUT) Questionnaire and the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ). Associations between Everyday Technology use, perceived risk of falling, functional impairment, access to a concession travel pass and out-of-home participation were investigated using ordinal regression.

Results

A higher probability of Everyday Technology use (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.492; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.041–1.127), perceived risk of falling outside home (OR = 2.499; 95% CI = 1.235–5.053) and, access to a concession travel pass (OR = 3.943; 95% CI = 1.970–7.893) were associated with a higher level of out-of-home participation. However, other types of risk (getting lost; feeling stressed or embarrassed) were not associated with out-of-home participation. Having a functional impairment was associated with a low probability of a higher level of out-of-home participation (OR = .470; 95% CI = .181–1.223). Across the sample, ‘outside home’ Everyday Technologies were used to a higher degree than ‘portable’ Everyday Technologies which can be used both in and outside home.

Conclusions

The study provides insights into perceived risks, access to a concession travel pass and use of Everyday Technologies, and their relationship with out-of-home participation, among older people in the UK. Increased knowledge about factors associated with out-of-home participation may help to guide targeted health and social care planning.

Test-retest reliability of the short version of the everyday technology use questionnaire (S-ETUQ)

Background: Everyday technologies (ET) such as smart phones, and internet banking are increasingly incorporated into daily activities. Therefore, valid assessments are needed to identify ability in ET use and to design and evaluate interventions.Aims: To evaluate and compare the stability over time (test-retest reliability) of measures generated with the short version of the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (S-ETUQ) in older adults with cognitive impairment or mild dementia.Materials and Methods: Data was collected with S-ETUQ at two occasions (m = 20.9 days in between) in a sample of (n = 73) older adults with cognitive impairment of different origin (n = 38) or mild dementia (n = 35). Stability of each participant's S-ETUQ measure was examined using standardised difference z-comparisons. The test-retest reliability coefficient of the S-ETUQ measures was determined by Intraclass Correlation Coefficients. Comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney u-tests.Results: The S-ETUQ measures were statistically stable between the two occasions. Hence, the group of persons with cognitive impairment demonstrated slightly higher stability and fewer differences compared to the group with mild dementia. The ICCs (0.82-0.90) indicated good to excellent agreement.Conclusions: S- ETUQ can be used with older people with cognitive impairments of varying degree to gather reliable and precise information regarding their use of ET.

Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the everyday technology use questionnaire

BACKGROUND

Everyday technologies are naturally integrated in people's daily life. For older adults and adults living with a chronic disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the ability to use technologies for health management has become increasingly important. The aim of this study was to investigate inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire (ETUQ) in a sample of older adults with (n = 23) and without (n = 24) COPD.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The ETUQ was initially translated in accordance with the dual panel approach and then administered to a sample of 47 participants. Svensson's method for paired ordinal data was utilized to calculate and analyze reliability.

RESULTS

Overall, inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Danish version of the ETUQ demonstrated excellent percentage agreement (PA) (>75%), although for test-retest reliability, nine items demonstrated fair (53%) to good (73%) agreement.

CONCLUSION

This study supports the use of the Danish version of the ETUQ in a sample of older adults with or without COPD. Application to practice: The Danish version of the ETUQ is an evidence-based evaluation that can reliably contribute to clinical occupational therapy and research in Denmark focusing on everyday technology use.