Preliminary Efficacy of Let's Talk Tech: Technology Use Planning for Dementia Care Dyads

Clara Berridge; Natalie R Turner; Liu Liu; Karen I Fredriksen-Goldsen; Karen S Lyons; George Demiris; Jeffrey Kaye; William B Lober

doi:10.1093/geroni/igad018

Preliminary Efficacy of Let's Talk Tech: Technology Use Planning for Dementia Care Dyads

Innov Aging. 2023 Mar 2;7(3):igad018. doi: 10.1093/geroni/igad018. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Clara Berridge¹, Natalie R Turner¹, Liu Liu², Karen I Fredriksen-Goldsen¹, Karen S Lyons³, George Demiris⁴, Jeffrey Kaye⁵, William B Lober⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
² College of Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
³ William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁴ School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁵ Layton Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Center and Oregon Center for Aging and Technology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
⁶ Clinical Informatics Research Group, School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Abstract

Background and objective: Care partners of people living with dementia require support to knowledgeably navigate decision making about how and when to use monitoring technologies for care purposes. We conducted a pilot study of a novel self-administered intervention, "Let's Talk Tech," for people living with mild dementia and their care partners. This paper presents preliminary efficacy findings of this intervention designed to educate and facilitate dyadic communication about a range of technologies used in dementia care and to document the preferences of the person living with dementia. It is the first-of-its-kind decision-making and planning tool with a specific focus on technology use.

Research design and methods: We used a 1-group pretest-post-test design and paired t tests to assess change over 2 time periods in measures of technology comprehension, care partner knowledge of the participant living with mild Alzheimer's disease's (AD) preferences, care partner preparedness to make decisions about technology use, and mutual understanding. Thematic analysis was conducted on postintervention interview transcripts to elucidate mechanisms and experiences with Let's Talk Tech.

Results: Twenty-nine mild AD dementia care dyads who live together completed the study. There was statistically significant improvement with medium and large effect sizes on outcome measures of care partners' understanding of each technology, care partners' perceptions of the person living with dementia's understanding of each technology, knowledge of the person living with dementia's preferences, decision-making preparedness, and care partners' feelings of mutual understanding. Participants reported that it helped them have important and meaningful conversations about using technology.

Discussion and implications: Let's Talk Tech demonstrated promising preliminary efficacy on targeted measures that can lead to informed, shared decision making about technologies used in dementia care. Future studies should assess efficacy with larger samples and more diverse sample populations in terms of race, ethnicity, and dementia type.

Keywords: Caregiving; Decision making; Ethics; Information Technology; Person-centered care.

Abstract

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