Facilitating day-to-day life management of older people with Alzheimer’s disease: A revelatory single-case study on the acceptability of the AMELIS interactive calendar
J. Gobeil, H. Pigot, C. Laliberté, A. Dépelteau, O. Laverdière, M.-A. David-Grégoire, N. Laprise, I. Beauchamp, M. Couture, Y. Adelise, N. Bier
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AbstractBackground: Technologies such as smartphones and tablets can help people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) overcome their daily challenges. Objective: The AMELIS interactive calendar, specifically designed to facilitate daily management, is a technology whose acceptability must be further documented for this clientele and their caregivers. A qualitative, descriptive single-case study was therefore conducted with an older woman with mild AD and her caregiver to document the acceptability of AMELIS. Methods: Ten learning sessions were performed using Sohlberg and Mateer’s method (1989), errorless learning and multi-layer approach. Data collection comprised pre- and post-intervention interviews with the participant and her caregiver, logbooks and experimenter’s summaries. A thematic analysis was conducted and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to structure the presentation of the results. Results: This study revealed that the acceptability of AMELIS was favorable, mainly because the tool was reported as useful by the participant and her caregiver. The large touchscreen and the personalized learning method also influenced their attitude towards the use of the tool. Conclusion Thus, AMELIS is an innovative technology that has the potential to be accepted by older people with AD and their families. Features of this technology and learning strategies used in this case study may help clinicians, designers and researchers introduce assistive technologies to this clientele.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, older people, technology, calendar, acceptability
J. Gobeil, H. Pigot, C. Laliberté, A. Dépelteau, O. Laverdière, M.-A. David-Grégoire, N. Laprise, I. Beauchamp, M. Couture, Y. Adelise, N. Bier (2019). Facilitating day-to-day life management of older people with Alzheimer’s disease: A revelatory single-case study on the acceptability of the AMELIS interactive calendar. Gerontechnology, 18(4), 243-257
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2019.18.4.006.00