Article of the month: May 2021

The website committee chose as publication of the month May: Pappadà et al. (2021) about Assistive technologies in Dementia Care.

The pandemic showed the potential of assistive technologies in supporting people with dementia and their carers. These technologies can help to improve dementia care. In this article a review of reviews was conducted regarding technological support for the mentioned target group, alongside a review of the studies run during the first pandemic wave. 

30 Reviews and 9 new studies are summarized according to target group and type of technology. Benefits were found for persons with dementia (staying in touch with others, stimulate cognitive functions or sustain daily living and instrumental activities) and carers (mental health, skills learning, and social aspects). The quality of the reviews was high, there was much methodological heterogeneity among the studies. 

The authors conclude that technologies were well-accepted and can be valuable in bypassing physical and environmental problems both during regular times and during future pandemic waves. 

Full reference: Pappadà A, Chattat R, Chirico I, Valente M and Ottoboni G (2021) Assistive Technologies in Dementia Care: An Updated Analysis of the Literature. Front. Psychol. 12:644587. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644587