The use of technology for social interaction by people with dementia: A scoping review

ABSTRACT: People with dementia (PwD) are at risk of experiencing loneliness, which is associated with physical and mental health difficulties [1]. Technology is a possible tool to increase social connection and reduce loneliness. This scoping review aims to examine the current evidence regarding the use of technology to reduce loneliness in PwD. A scoping review was carried out. Medline, PsychINFO, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane database, NHS Evidence, Trials register, Open Grey, ACM Digital Library and IEEE Xplore were searched in April 2021. A sensitive search strategy was constructed using combinations of free text and thesaurus terms to retrieve articles about dementia, technology and social-interaction. Pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used. Paper quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and results reported according to PRISMA guidelines [2,3]. 73 papers were identified publishing the results of 69 studies. Technological interventions included robots, tablets/computers and other forms of technology. Methodologies were varied and limited synthesis was possible. There is some evidence that technology is a beneficial intervention to reduce loneliness. Important considerations include personalisation and the context of the intervention. The current evidence is limited and variable; future research is warranted including studies with specific loneliness outcome measures, studies focusing on PwD living alone, and technology as part of intervention programmes. Author summary More people are now living with dementia than ever before. People with dementia often experience loneliness. There has been increasing interest in using technology to help people with dementia connect with others and feel less lonely. Here we have searched for studies about people with dementia using technology for social interaction. We wanted to see what technologies are being used and if they are helpful or not. We found that there is a wide variety of types of technology being used to help social interaction for people with dementia. Types of technology included robots, tablet and desktop computers and a wide variety of other technologies. The studies we found used a diverse range of methods to see if the technology was helpful. Overall we found that technology could be a useful tool to help reduce loneliness in people with dementia. However there needs to be more research into this area. Future research could focus on helping people with dementia who live alone, and using technology as one part of broader intervention programmes.

SUBMITTER: Anderson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9931370 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature