Digital technologies support people in managing their lives in various ways. However, people with dementia can also benefit from tablets and apps. As their cognitive abilities decline, they require support in learning how to use touchscreens and similar devices.
Apps for cognitive training, scheduling, games, leisure activities, or art: In recent years, many digital applications have been developed in the field of health management that support independence in daily life and can also be used by people with dementia. Scientists have increasingly demonstrated that people with mild dementia are perfectly capable of using tablets and apps that support self-management. This includes, for example, apps for coping with memory loss. The independent use of health-related apps could, write the authors of a Dutch study, help to increase autonomy, reduce social exclusion, and thus improve quality of life.
How to learn digital skills
However, people with dementia need support to learn how to use digital technologies. In the review paper, researchers therefore investigated for the first time which training measures are best suited for people with mild dementia to (re)learn how to use sometimes complex technologies. The researchers distinguish between an error-free and an error-based learning approach. In error-free learning, errors are minimized during the learning process, as training methods for error reduction are used. In contrast, the error-based learning approach assumes that skills can be learned by guessing the correct answer and learning from mistakes made.
Training measures are successful
The authors' literature review yields consistently positive results. All of the studies they analyzed report improvements in task performance among people with dementia who have (re)learned how to use technology. The results were independent of training intensity or the teaching method used, and also independent of the severity of the dementia. Most of the studies included in the review utilized a combination of training measures for error reduction. They linked the demonstration of learning steps with verbal or visual instructions. Furthermore, the successes were not limited to performing simpler tasks, such as making tea with an electric kettle.
Here is the link to the study:
Can individuals with mild dementia relearn how to use technology? A literature review
