Ability to manage everyday technology: a comparison of persons with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and older adults without cognitive impairment

Purpose. The ability to manage technology is important for performance and participation in everyday activities. This study compares the management of technology in everyday activities among people with mild-stage dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with older adults without known cognitive impairment (OA). Method. Persons with mild-stage dementia (n = 38), MCI (n = 33) and OA (n = 45) were observed and interviewed when managing their everyday technology at home by using the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment (META). A computer application of a Rasch measurement model was used to generate measures of participants' ability to manage technology. These measures were compared groupwise with ANCOVA. Results. The management of everyday technology was significantly more challenging for the samples with mild-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) or MCI compared to the OA sample (AD – OA, p <0.001; d = 1.87, MCI – OA, p <0.001; d = 0.66). The sample with MCI demonstrated a significantly higher ability to manage technology than the sample with mild-stage AD (AD – MCI, p <0.001; d = 1.23). However, there were overlaps between the groups and decreased ability appeared in all groups. Conclusions. Persons with cognitive impairment are likely to have decreased ability to manage everyday technology. Since their decreased ability can have disabling consequences, ability to manage technology is important to consider when assessing ability to perform everyday activities.

[1]  Birgit Jæger,et al.  Young Technologies in Old Hands: An International View on Senior Citizen's Utilization of ICT , 2005 .

[2]  P. Lachenbruch.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.) , 1989 .

[3]  B. Winblad,et al.  The social consequences for families with Alzheimer's disease patients: potential impact of new drug treatment , 1999, International journal of geriatric psychiatry.

[4]  H. Amièva,et al.  The Disablement Process: A Conceptual Framework for Dementia-Associated Disability , 2002, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

[5]  Herbert Gottfried,et al.  A Computer Program for Recording Historic Buildings Using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Program , 1984 .

[6]  A. Larner,et al.  The Diagnosis of Dementia: Diagnostic Accuracy of an Instrument Measuring Activities of Daily Living in a Clinic-Based Population , 2006, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

[7]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences , 1969, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[8]  L. Nygård,et al.  Psychometric evaluation of a new assessment of the ability to manage technology in everyday life , 2011, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[9]  P. Emiliani.  Assistive Technology (AT) versus Mainstream Technology (MST): The research perspective , 2006 .

[10]  C. Bodine,et al.  Technology for improving cognitive function. A workshop sponsored by the U.S. Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR): Reports from working groups , 2006, Disability and rehabilitation.

[11]  A. G. Fisher,et al.  Activities of daily living performance in dementia , 2007, Acta neurologica Scandinavica.

[12]  A. D. Fisk,et al.  Training older adults to use new technology. , 2007, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[13]  B. Dawson-Saunders,et al.  Basic and Clinical Biostatistics , 1993 .

[14]  Tania Giovannetti,et al.  Characterization of Everyday Functioning in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Direct Assessment Approach , 2008, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

[15]  Y. Stern,et al.  Functional deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment: Prediction of AD , 2002, Neurology.

[16]  Christian Sorg,et al.  Complex activities of daily living in mild cognitive impairment: conceptual and diagnostic issues. , 2006, Age and ageing.

[17]  Louise Nygård,et al.  Instrumental activities of daily living: a stepping‐stone towards Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in subjects with mild cognitive impairment? , 2003, Acta neurologica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[18]  Susan D. Vanderhill,et al.  Characterization of activities of daily living in individuals with mild cognitive impairment. , 2008, The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

[19]  B. Winblad,et al.  An Estimate of the Worldwide Prevalence and Direct Costs of Dementia in 2003 , 2006, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

[20]  M. Folstein,et al.  Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease , 1984, Neurology.

[21]  Patrizia Mecocci,et al.  Mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review. , 2007, Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD.

[22]  L. Nygård,et al.  The use of everyday technology by people with dementia living alone: Mapping out the difficulties , 2007, Aging & mental health.

[23]  Joseph Sharit,et al.  Factors predicting the use of technology: findings from the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE). , 2006, Psychology and aging.

[24]  S. Folstein,et al.  "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. , 1975, Journal of psychiatric research.

[25]  M. R. Espejo.  Applying the Rasch Model: Fundamental Measurement in the Human Sciences , 2004 .

[26]  Anna Trakoli,et al.  Model of Human Occupation: Theory and Application , 2010 .

[27]  Gary Kielhofner,et al.  Model of human occupation : theory and application , 1985 .

[28]  R. Petersen.  Mild cognitive impairment as a diagnostic entity , 2004, Journal of internal medicine.

[29]  H. Chiu,et al.  Characteristic Profiles of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Chinese Older Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment , 2007, American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

[30]  D. Harvey,et al.  MCI is Associated With Deficits in Everyday Functioning , 2006, Alzheimer disease and associated disorders.

[31]  C. Fabrigoule,et al.  Restriction in complex activities of daily living in MCI , 2006, Neurology.

[32]  R. Petersen,et al.  Revised Criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment: Validation within a Longitudinal Population Study , 2006, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders.

[33]  Louise Nygård,et al.  The meaning of everyday technology as experienced by people with dementia who live alone , 2008 .

[34]  L. Nygård,et al.  Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire: Psychometric Evaluation of a New Assessment of Competence in Technology Use , 2009 .

[35]  R. Hu.  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) , 2003 .

[36]  Holly Tuokko,et al.  Mild cognitive impairment and everyday functioning in older adults , 2005, Neurocase.

[37]  C. Jack,et al.  Mild cognitive impairment – beyond controversies, towards a consensus: report of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment , 2004, Journal of internal medicine.

[38]  K. Langa,et al.  Prevalence of Dementia in the United States: The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study , 2007, Neuroepidemiology.

[39]  L. Harrell,et al.  Impaired financial abilities in mild cognitive impairment , 2003, Neurology.

[40]  W. Krampla,et al.  Conversion from subtypes of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer dementia , 2007, Neurology.

[41]  H C Hendrie,et al.  Epidemiology of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. , 1998, The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

[42]  Laura Fratiglioni,et al.  What is mild cognitive impairment? Variations in definitions and evolution of nondemented persons with cognitive impairment , 2003, Acta neurologica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[43]  B. Winblad,et al.  Perceived difficulty in everyday technology use among older adults with or without cognitive deficits , 2009, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.