Evaluating the effectiveness of a memory aid system

Abstract

Background: The ability to remember future intentions is compromised in both healthy and cognitively impaired older adults. Assistive technology provides older adults with promising solutions to cope with this age-related problem. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of such systems as memory aids is seldom evaluated in controlled, randomized trials. Objectives: We evaluated the effectiveness of a memory aid system, the InBad (engl. InBath), for bathroom-related daily care. Conceptually, the InBad learns user behavior patterns and detects deviations from the learned pattern in order to notify the user of a forgotten task. Methods: We simulated a challenging morning routine consisting of 22 bathroom activities with a sample of 60 healthy older adults. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) 'no memory support', i.e. participants received no support at all, (2) 'list support', i.e. participants could retrieve a list of all activities, and (3) 'system support', i.e. participants received prompts for specific activities that had not yet been executed. Results: Both support groups executed significantly more activities compared to the 'no support' group. In addition, system support resulted in significantly better performance compared to list support with no significant differences between the two groups in overall task duration. Conclusion: The assistive support system was the most effective and efficient memory aid. The results suggest that assistive technology has the potential to enable older adults to remain safe and independent in their own home. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.