Paper: Unpaid carers of people with dementia and ICT

A recently published paper by the London School of Economics and Political Science explored the types of information communication technology (ICT) unpaid carers use, the ways they use ICT, the impact of ICT-use, and their ideas for how ICT could be more supportive of their role as a carer.

Thirty-two unpaid carers of people living with dementia took part in six focus groups to discuss their experiences of – and barriers to – using ICT. They “predominantly used mainstream ICT devices such as laptops and smartphones and internet-enabled applications including videoconferencing and social media platforms to support their daily activities and assist them in their caring role. A few participants discussed using accessible devices such as memory clocks and formal telecare and care-phone services for care management and monitoring functions. Participants’ ideas for improvements centred on personalised communication applications that facilitate remote interactions and promote persons living with dementia’s independence. Others expressed concerns about the growing need to use ICT to access formal care services and the inadequacy of the ICT infrastructure in some care homes”.