MORE MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES AND BETTER SELF-MANAGEMENT THANKS TO TABLETS? A PERSON-CENTRED PROGRAMME TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH MILD DEMENTIA AND THEIR CARERS

Background: To offer good support to people with dementia and their carers in times of scarcity the deployment of the tablet and its apps can be viable and desirable. However, at the moment it is not clear which apps are... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
To offer good support to people with dementia and their carers in times of scarcity the deployment of the tablet and its apps can be viable and desirable. However, at the moment it is not clear which apps are usable and useful for supporting people with dementia in daily life and how people with dementia can be coached to learn to use a tablet and its apps.
Method:
A person-centred programme, with tool and training, will be developed that aims to support people with mild dementia and their formal and informal carers in how to use the tablet for self-management and meaningful activities. The programme will be developed in accordance with the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. People with dementia and their carers will be involved in the development, by means of individual interviews, focus groups and case studies.
Discussion:
The iterative process of this framework makes it possible to develop a user-oriented intervention, in this case a person-centred programme, for the use of tablets in dementia care. Preparatory work will be done to enable a methodologically sound randomised controlled trial (RCT), which aims to investigate the contribution of this person-centred programme for tablet use to the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers.
Application to Practice:
Working with this new client-centred programme requires a ‘shift’ in thinking and acting of carers, so that the personal strength of people with dementia is appealed to and developed in an optimal way.