An exploration of experiences and perspectives of assistive technology for community dwelling older adults and their carers at night time

Abstract

Introduction

An increase in the application of technological services to support older adults in the community has sparked debate and discussion of its use and effectiveness amongst its many stakeholders, and there is particular interest in night-time technologies. Despite the desire to integrate these services, the evidence of successful implementation is varied and unclear. There is the need to understand the variety of perspectives from carer to service user to understand barriers and enablers of its use. The aim of this PhD was to answer the question, ‘what are the experiences and perspectives of home assistive technology at night time for community dwelling older adults and their carers?’.

Methods

Three qualitative studies were conducted to answer the research question. Study 1 is a qualitative evidence synthesis exploring existing knowledge of the experiences of home assistive technology with people with long term conditions and their carers. Study 2 explores the perceptions and experience of carers – those who do not use technology and telecare call responders who do use it to support older adults in the community overnight. Data was collected via on-line focus groups and analysed by thematic analysis. Study 3 explores the experiences of service users of night time assistive technology and their telecare call responders. Individual interviews and on-line focus groups were utilised to collect the data which was analysed by thematic analysis. Findings from the three studies were then explored and discussed to identify overarching themes and recommendations for practice.

Results

Study 1 found four analytical themes, 1) safety and security are more important than privacy, 2) education is essential for successful implementation, 3) concern for the implications of technology on traditional healthcare roles and resources, and 4) successful implementation is paramount in effective disease management. Study 2 found four key themes, 1) face-to-face versus technological care services, 2) fear of change and repercussions, 3) going digital, and 4) is technology reliable? Study 3 identified four themes, 1) social isolation, 2) sense of community, 3) technology and individual need, and 4) technology not used as intended. Six broad themes were identified from the findings of the three studies exploring the values and perspectives of home assistive technology at night time for community dwelling older adults and their carers, 1) safety and security, 2)
education, 3) face-to-face versus technological care, 4) change, 5) social isolation and 6) individual assessment for telecare solutions.

Conclusion

The research has identified three unique recommendations for organisations to implement when introducing technology into their service, 1) education and training for service users and service providers, 2) individual assessment of service user needs, and the tailoring of services provided and 3) consideration of social needs and the building of communities when prescribing technology services.

Date of Award	Apr 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Coventry University
Supervisor	Deborah Lycett (Supervisor), Ruth Heames (Supervisor) & Anne Coufopoulos (Supervisor)