Understanding and Guiding Technology Use in Dementia: A Pan-European Mapping and Consensus Study

Canaan Ruben Tsabary¹Duygu Sezgin²Anthea Innes^3,4Dianne Gove⁵Ana Diaz⁵Lia Fernandes^6,7Ana Barbosa⁸Michael P Craven⁹Horst Christian Vollmar¹⁰Laila Øksnebjerg¹¹Louise Hopper^1*

• ¹Dublin City University School of Psychology, Dublin, Ireland
• ²University of Galway School of Nursing and Midwifery, Galway, Ireland
• ³Centre for Rural Health Science, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, United Kingdom
• ⁴Mcmaster University Gilbrea Centre for Studies on Aging, Hamilton, Canada
• ⁵Alzheimer Europe, Senningerberg, Luxembourg
• ⁶Universidade do Porto Departamento de Neurociencias Clinicas e Saude Mental, Porto, Portugal
• ⁷Psychiatry Service, São João University Hospital, Porto, Portugal
• ⁸University of Bradford Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, Bradford, United Kingdom
• ⁹NIHR MindTech HRC, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
• ¹⁰Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine (AM RUB), Ruhr University Bochum, Ruhr, Germany
• ¹¹Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Dementia is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and its prevalence is expected to rise significantly by the year 2050. Assistive technologies (AT) have emerged as promising tools to promote independence and quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an increased uptake of AT among people with dementia, exposing important limitations in digital literacy, accessibility, and support. This pan-European study mapped recent research initiatives involving digital technology use by people with dementia during the pandemic and synthesised a set of recommendations for supporting the use of AT by people with dementia, and its development. The mapping exercise identified 28 relevant projects, highlighting the types of technologies used during the pandemic and the settings in which they were implemented. Video-conferencing platforms were the most reported projects. More than half of the projects and initiatives (n=17) were adapted to include digital technologies due to the pandemic. The subsequent Delphi consensus study incorporated input from experts by experience and produced 18 evidence-based recommendations, adapted from this mapping exercise and a previous scoping review. Key findings emphasise involving people with dementia in technology design, ensuring equitable access, and providing adequate training and support. The recommendations offer a practical, consensus-based framework to improve the efficacy of AT adoption, with implications extending beyond pandemic contexts to improve dementia care globally.