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. 2018 Aug;33(5):318-326.
doi: 10.1177/1533317518775038. Epub 2018 May 9.

Technology-Based Behavioral Interventions for Daily Activities and Supported Ambulation in People With Alzheimer's Disease

Giulio E Lancioni  1 , Nirbhay N Singh  2 , Mark F O'Reilly  3 , Jeff Sigafoos  4 , Fiora D'Amico  5 , Dominga Laporta  6 , Maria Giovanna Cattaneo  6 , Antonella Scordamaglia  6 , Katia Pinto  7
Affiliations

Technology-Based Behavioral Interventions for Daily Activities and Supported Ambulation in People With Alzheimer's Disease

Giulio E Lancioni et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: These 2 studies evaluated technology-based behavioral interventions for promoting daily activities and supported ambulation in people with mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease, respectively.

Methods: Study 1 included 8 participants who were taught to start and carry out daily activities on their own using a tablet or smartphone device, which provided activity reminders, step instructions, and praise. Study 2 included 9 participants who were taught to engage in brief periods of ambulation using a walker combined with a tilt microswitch and a notebook computer, which monitored step responses and provided stimulation and prompts.

Results: The participants of study 1 succeeded in starting the activities independently and carrying them out accurately. The participants of study 2 largely increased their ambulation levels and also showed signs of positive involvement (eg, smiles and verbalizations).

Conclusion: The aforementioned technology-based interventions may represent practical means for supporting people with Alzheimer's disease.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; ambulation; daily activities; instructions; reminders; technology-based programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Black diamonds and bars represent mean percentages of activities started independently and mean percentages of activity steps carried out correctly per session over blocks of sessions for each of the participants (ie, P1-P8). The number of sessions included in the blocks is indicated by the numerals above the diamonds, bars, or diamond-bar combinations.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Bars and black circles represent mean frequencies of step responses and mean percentages of positive involvement per session over blocks of baseline and intervention sessions for each of the participants (ie, P1-P9). The number of sessions included in the blocks is indicated by the numerals above the bar-circle combinations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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