Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Dec 24, 2020
Open Peer Review Period: Dec 24, 2020 - Feb 18, 2021
Date Accepted: Nov 18, 2021
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Implementing smart speakers for care home residents at scale across a region: uses, benefits and barriers
ABSTRACT
Background:
Smart speakers to improve wellbeing had been trialled in social care by others but we were not aware of any implementation at scale. For widespread adoption of new technology, it has to be locally demonstrable and become normalised.
Objective:
For 150 (two thirds) care homes in one rural and coastal region to install smart speakers and to explore if and how devices were used, barriers to implementation, and potential benefits.
Methods:
Email, workshops, drop-in sessions, phone, and cold calling was used to contact all 230 care homes, offering a free smart speaker and some advisory support. Care homes accepting devices were followed up by telephone survey.
Results:
It took 7 months to install 156 devices in 92 care homes for older people, 50 for people with physical or mental health needs and eight others. Devices were used mainly for music but also for poetry, recipes, controlling lights, jokes, and video calls. Care home managers reported benefits for residents including enhanced engagement with home activities, enjoyment, calming effects, and acquisition of new skills. Implementation problems included internet connectivity, staff capacity and skills.
Conclusions:
Affordable consumer devices, such as smart speakers, should be installed in all care homes to benefit residents. Voice-activated technologies are easy to use and promote interaction. This study indicates that implementation in care homes was possible and that smart speakers had multifaceted benefit for residents and staff. Most care homes in this region now use smart speakers for residents therefore normalising this practice.
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