Benefit and usability of a senior tablet and an emergency smartwatch for older adults and their relatives: results from a prospective user study

Abstract

Introduction Assistive technologies (ATs) have the potential to promote quality of life and independent living of older adults but also to relieve the burden of caregivers and relatives. However, evidence on effectiveness of ATs in the real-world application remains scarce. We conducted a prospective, exploratory user study to test the perceived benefit and satisfaction with different ATs in the real-world environment.

Methods Community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 and their relatives tested either a tablet with a simplified interface or a smartwatch with programmable emergency contacts for eight weeks in their everyday life. Benefits and usability of AT were assessed by all older adults and their relatives using different assessment tools employed prior to and/or after the intervention. Outcome measures included the Technology Usage Inventory (TUI), Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology 2.0 (QUEST 2.0) and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).

Results 17 older adults and 16 relatives were included. Participants in the smartwatch group were slightly frailer and more dependent but reported higher technology acceptance and satisfaction scores than those of the tablet group. In the tablet group, relatives had better technology acceptance and satisfaction ratings than older adults. Identified everyday issues with the COPM included contact/communication and entertainment/information for the tablet, safety and getting help in emergency situations for the smartwatch, and AT usability for both devices.

Conclusions This study highlights remaining obstacles for a widespread and effective application of ATs in everyday life of older adults and their relatives. While the results do not provide evidence for a positive effect regarding communication deficits, benefits could be shown for the area of safety.