JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In the lives of people with dementia, loneliness is an important issue with psychological and physical consequences. Active assisted living (AAL) technology have been gaining visibility in the care of Persons Living with Dementia (PlwD) including to address loneliness. However, to the best of our knowledge there is a lack of evidence concerning the factors influencing the implementation of AAL technology within the context of dementia, loneliness and long-term-care (LTC).

Objective:

We aimed to identify the familiarity with the AAL technology that are promising for addressing loneliness in PlwD in LTC in Europe and the factors influencing AAL technology’s implementation.

Methods:

An online survey was developed based on findings from our previous literature review. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided the development and analysis of the survey. Participants included 24 representatives of Alzheimer Europe member associations from 15 European countries. The data were analyzed using basic statistical methods (descriptive statistics).

Results:

The baby seal robot Paro was reported as the most familiar AAL technology by 19 out of 24 participants addressing loneliness in people with dementia living in LTC. Norway reported familiarity with 14 different AAL technologies and Serbia reported zero familiarity. It seems that countries that invest less in LTC facilities are familiar with fewer AAL technologies. At the same time, they reported more positive attitude toward AAL technology, they expressed a higher need for it, and saw more advantages than disadvantages compared to the countries that invest more in LTC. However, a country's investment in LTC facilities did not seem to influence implementation aspects such as costs, planning, and the impact of infrastructure.

Conclusions:

Implementation of AAL technology to address loneliness in dementia seems to be linked to familiarity of the technology in a country as well as national investment in LTC facilities. This survey confirms with the existing literature about the higher-investment countries’ critical stand when it comes to AAL technology implementation to address loneliness in PlwD living in LTC. Further research is needed to clarify the potential reasons why familiarity with more AAL technology does not seem to be directly linked with acceptance, positive attitude or satisfaction with AAL technology addressing loneliness in PlwD.