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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Dement.
Sec. Dementia Care
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frdem.2024.1400624
This article is part of the Research Topic Gerontechnologies for Home Support View all 5 articles

The evaluation of a decision support system integrating assistive technology for people with dementia at home

Provisionally accepted
Henk Herman Nap Henk Herman Nap 1,2*Nathalie Elisabeth Stolwijk Nathalie Elisabeth Stolwijk 1Sima Ipakchian Askari Sima Ipakchian Askari 1Dirk R. Lukkien Dirk R. Lukkien 1,3Bob Hofstede Bob Hofstede 1,2Nicole Morresi Nicole Morresi 4Sara Casaccia Sara Casaccia 4Giulio Amabili Giulio Amabili 5Roberta Bevilacqua Roberta Bevilacqua 5Arianna Margaritini Arianna Margaritini 5Federico Barbarossa Federico Barbarossa 5Chien-Ju Lin Chien-Ju Lin 6Hsiao-Feng Chieh Hsiao-Feng Chieh 6Fong-Chin Su Fong-Chin Su 7Ephrem Tesfay Ephrem Tesfay 1Dorothy Bai Dorothy Bai 8Claire Wirtjes Claire Wirtjes 1
  • 1 Vilans, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • 2 Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
  • 3 Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands, Netherlands
  • 4 Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Marche, Italy
  • 5 National Institute of Science and Health for Aging (IRCCS), Ancona, Italy
  • 6 Prospective Medical Device Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Tainan County, Taiwan
  • 7 Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Tainan County, Taiwan
  • 8 School of Gerontology and Health Management, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    three countries (Netherlands, Italy, and Taiwan) with 41 participants to gain insight into the experiences of formal and informal carers and PwD with both the ATs and the DSS Alpha prototype dashboard.The results showed that participants using the DSS were satisfied and perceived added value and a fit with certain care demands from the PwD. In general, ICs and FCs have limited insight into the status of PwD living independently at home, and in these moments, the DSS dashboard and AT bundle can provide valuable insights. Participants experienced the DSS dashboard as well-organized and easy to navigate. The accuracy of the data displayed in the dashboard is important, the context, and (perceived) privacy issues should be tackled according to all users. Furthermore, based in the insight gained during the evaluation a set of design improvements was composed which can be used to further improve the DSS for the Beta evaluation.The current paper evaluates a possible solution for excess AT usage and how the use of a DSS which integrated multiple AT into one single technology could support caregivers in providing care for PwD. The formative evaluation scrutinized the integration of the developed DSS and the composed bundle of ATs across diverse cultural contexts. Insights from multi-center observations shed light on user experiences, encompassing overall usability, navigational efficacy, and attitudes towards the system. FCs and ICs expressed positivity towards the DSS dashboard's design and functionalities, highlighting its utility in remote monitoring, tracking changes in the person's abilities, and managing urgent situations. There is a need for personalized solutions and the findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of DSS and AT integration, providing insights for future developments and research in the field of DSS for the care of PwD.

    Keywords: Assistive Technology, Gerontechnologies, Home support, decision support system, AI, people with dementia, Formal carers, informal carers people with dementia

    Received: 15 Mar 2024; Accepted: 24 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Nap, Stolwijk, Ipakchian Askari, Lukkien, Hofstede, Morresi, Casaccia, Amabili, Bevilacqua, Margaritini, Barbarossa, Lin, Chieh, Su, Tesfay, Bai and Wirtjes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Henk Herman Nap, Vilans, Utrecht, Netherlands

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.