An ambient medication display to heighten the peace of mind of family caregivers of older adults: A study of feasibility

Abstract

Older adults relatives, playing the role of primary caregivers, face an emotional burden as elderly dependence increments. Interventions to help older adults to maintain activities of daily living, such as managing their medications, may alleviate family caregivers’ burden. Medication adherence supported by ambient computing technologies has been previously explored for improving older adults’ medication compliance. However, their impact has not been evaluated on family caregivers. In this study we assessed the utilization feasibility and acceptance of a Medication Ambient Display for supporting elderly to autonomously medicate. The system was placed in the homes of two seniors-caregivers dyads during 4 weeks. The attitudes and preferences of these volunteers were assessed through survey instruments. Overall experiences were consistently positive even though some usability issues were also reported. Responses from our participants indicated that they appreciated the potential of this technology to make older adults more responsible for taking their medications, which provided caregivers with peace of mind.