Designing Technology Solutions to Support Caregivers
R. M. Mudar (Convener).
Full text PDF 
( Download count: 1)
AbstractPARTICIPANTS: E.T. Remillard (USA), L.A. Rice (USA), P. Bhowmick (USA), R.A. Mudar (USA). ISSUE: Globally, over 100 million (29%) older adults 60 years of age or older rely on informal caregivers, often family members or friends, for assistance with daily activities [1]. These caregivers provide essential support with tasks ranging from personal care to medication management. These caregivers frequently experience high levels of stress and diminished physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being as the demand of caregiving grows. Advances in technology offer promising avenues to support caregivers with these everyday activities provided these technologies are carefully designed to meet the unique needs and preferences of this population. CONTENT: Our symposium is designed to bring together speakers from the USA on the theme of using technology to support caregivers in their everyday activities. The speakers will address: 1) caregiving challenges among older adults with disabilities and implications for technology design 2) considerations for developing technology to support and better monitor their care-dependents, and 3) reduce care demands and promote well-being. STRUCTURE Remillard will present findings from the Aging Concerns, Challenges, and Everyday Solution Strategies (ACCESS) study, a large-scale mixed-method investigation of older adults (60+) aging with long-term sensory and mobility disabilities. Remillard will highlight areas of unique challenges faced by caregivers who themselves have disabilities, a group often overlooked in caregiving research, and their unmet needs that create opportunities for technology innovations. Rice will discuss findings from a study examining caregiver perspectives on WheelSafe, a fall-detection system created for older adults who use wheelchairs or scooters full time. Falls pose a serious risk for this population, yet current automated detection devices often fail to accurately identify incidents. Rice will share caregivers' views on WheelSafe's usability and usefulness, discuss areas of improvements that inform design refinements to better support fall prevention. Mudar will describe a two-phase needs assessment study that informed the design of CaP-MEDSREM, a companion mobile application for caregivers of persons with cognitive impairment to monitor medication adherence. Often caregivers oversee medication management and technology solutions would allow remote medication management when care dependents are in early stages of cognitive impairment. Mudar will discuss feedback provided by caregivers on perceived usefulness and usability that guided iterative design improvements, resulting in the development of functional prototype tailored to caregiver needs. Bhowmick will present a case study evaluating the impact of an assistive robot (Stretch mobile manipulator) on caregiver well-being and daily functioning. She will discuss the positive outcomes after a month of sustained engagement with Stretch across domains of self-care, productivity, and leisure demonstrating that assistive robotics can meaningfully support caregivers by reducing burden, improving task coordination in home environments as well as caregiver well-being. CONCLUSION: The symposium will present interdisciplinary perspectives on developing and implementing technologies to support informal caregivers, reduce care burden, and promote autonomy and well-being for both caregivers and their care recipients.Keywords: caregivers, aging, technology, user centered design, everyday activities
R. M. Mudar (Convener). (2026). Designing Technology Solutions to Support Caregivers. Gerontechnology, 25(2), 1-10
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2026.25.2.1389.3