Proactive Care for Persons with Dementia: Using In-Home Passive Sensors to Reduce Caregiver Stress and Promote Aging in Place

New Brunswick’s population is aging rapidly, with more older adults expected to be living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) in the coming years. ADRD can endure and worsen for up to 20 years, often necessitating hands-on care in the home. Due to the limited capacity of the formal healthcare system, this care is often provided by informal caregivers – usually family members and friends of the person living with ADRD.

• Informal caregivers may experience high levels of stress and burden as they attempt to manage their own lives while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the person living with ADRD.
• Issues with timing and availability mean that there are times when caregivers are unable to check in on their loved one living with ADRD. Moreover, check-ins by informal caregivers offer only a limited snapshot of the condition and needs of the person living with ADRD.

Behavioural monitoring devices (e.g., wearables, cameras, or listening devices) can facilitate safe aging in place for people living with ADRD while lessening the stress and burden felt by their informal caregivers. However, many of the monitoring devices that are currently available for use only provide alerts in the event of an emergency. People living with ADRD may also find these devices to be intrusive and an invasion of their privacy. To address these issues, this program introduced a passive monitoring system in the homes of older adults living with ADRD. Known as PassiveAware, the technology consists of “tags” placed on objects around the home to monitor behavioural patterns. The technology can detect behaviours that might signal disease progression.

• Passive monitoring technology may be an effective tool in decreasing informal caregivers’ levels of stress and burden while facilitating the longer-term care planning process. However, given the project’s low sample size, further research involving both an intervention and control group is needed to measure the intervention’s impact on both caregivers and care receivers.
• Recruiting caregiver participants can be challenging due to their high levels of fatigue and stress.
• Caregivers and older adults might be reluctant to participate in a research project involving technology if they do not think they need it, do not understand its value, or are uncomfortable using it.

• Implement a larger-scale research study with the use of an intervention and control group.
• To facilitate increased recruitment with a more diverse group of participants, partner with community organizations who have existing relationships with caregivers and older adults.
• During the recruitment phase, emphasize the passive (non-intrusive) nature of the technology to potential participants; if possible, allow the participants to look at and/or try out the technology before they consent to the project.

To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 142 KB)