Technology-Based Caregiver Intervention Research: Current Status and Future Directions

In response to the high prevalence of caregiving and the negative health effects associated with caring for a chronically ill or disabled family member, researchers have designed and tested a wide range of intervention strategies aimed at helping the caregiver. In this review we systematically examine the role of technology in caregiver interventions. Three specific questions are addressed: (i) What do we mean by technology when applied to the caregiving context? (ii) What types of technology have been used in caregiving intervention research and have they been effective? and (iii) What direction might future research take in this area? A systematic review of the literature yielded 22 studies which are grouped into three categories based on the general goals of the study: those that report technology-based interventions designed to improve physical or psychosocial health of the caregiver, those that promote independent functioning of the care recipient or older adult at risk, and methodological studies that focus on the development and evaluation of technology-based approaches to health status assessment relevant to the caregiving context. On the whole, these studies show that existing technologies are both acceptable and feasible, although assessments of their impact are mixed. Evidence can be found to support the conclusions that technology can be effective in enhancing social support; enhancing knowledge and understanding of chronic disease, disability, and aging; and promoting emotional well-being and physical health. However these conclusions must be qualified by numerous methodological limitations of these studies, and those studies that do achieve positive outcomes are not able to attribute them to technology per se.