JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Unobtrusive sensing technologies developed for monitoring deviant behaviors in older adult care requires its integration with an interaction platform to facilitate the flow of information between them and concerned caregivers. However, the continuous monitoring capabilities generate a considerable amount of data that must be interpreted, filtered, and personalized before being communicated to the informal caregivers based on their specific care needs and requirements.

Objective:

For the effective implementation of unobtrusive sensing solutions (USSs) in the care of older adults with cognitive impairment, this study aims to explore the expectation and pre-conditions for the implementation of USSs from the perspective of informal caregivers. Followed to that, a low-fidelity prototype of an interaction platform, incorporating persuasive system design (PSD) features based on the needs and requirements of informal caregivers, was designed and evaluated for its conceptual workflow and usability.

Methods:

Six informal caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment living alone participated in this qualitative (interview) study. The expectation and pre-conditions for implementation were explored through open questions whereas formative evaluation (usability study with thinking aloud approach) was conducted to evaluate the conceptual workflow and used PSD features in the interaction platform. Overall, a mix of inductive and thematic analysis was used to analysis the interviews.

Results:

The result of this study presents both positive and negative outcome expectations regarding the implementation of a USSs, highlighting benefits such as objective decision-making and peace of mind, but also concerns about information overload and potential substitution of human contact. Strategic information communication agreements between informal and formal caregivers were deemed crucial for the successful implementation of USSs in care. Overall, informal caregivers had a positive experience with the lo-fi prototype of the interaction platform, particularly valuing the personalization feature.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, to achieve successful implementation, a holistic design approach is necessary, and equal consideration should be given to the personalization-privacy paradox to balance user needs and privacy.