Encountering technology: a qualitative exploration of the technology experiences of people living with dementia and their care partners to inform knowledge, practice and technology design

Living well with dementia involves engagement with a range of supports, including technology, which can impact on independence, connectedness and confidence. To support community life, develop inclusive technologies and technology-supporting practices, we need to understand current experiences and needs. This study aimed to explore technology experiences of people living with dementia and their care partners. A qualitative inquiry in partnership with lived experience experts was undertaken through semi-structured interviews and focus groups (n = 17 people living with dementia; 17 care partners) in Australia and the United States of America. Through interpretive description analysis, core aspects of technology experiences were constructed. Key findings were consistent across participants’ countries. The experiences could not be meaningfully organised in terms of technology type or aims of usage. The most meaningful conceptualisation was as technology encounters, classifying people’s technology interactions according to the impact on the person and supporters (positive, neutral, negative). Support strategies were described, requiring personalised and collaborative ongoing community support. Non-encounters, where people chose not to use specific technologies could be identified as either an active strategy or an imposition, were also described. This understanding may help to support continued engagement, meaningful support practices, technology evaluation and technology design.