Assistive Technology and Dementia Caregiving: A Few Social Considerations and Policy Implications

Abstract

With older persons increasingly wanting to age in familiar places, among community and family, their natural habitat, technological innovations greatly facilitate that. IATs are designed to ease the burden on families and healthcare systems while enhancing the quality of life and independent living of persons with dementia. This article questions the readiness of societies to accept the use of IAT with their older loved ones. It outlines some of the key social considerations that should be better understood in order to mitigate the barriers to AT use from an end-user and community perspective. It proposes policy interventions that could enhance the acceptance and use of IAT among older persons, taking into account sociocultural and prevailing attitudes, especially in Arab Muslim societies, while benefiting from global experiences.