Technology to Improve Autonomy and Inform Housing Decisions for Older Adults With Memory Problems Who Live at Home in Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands: Protocol for a Multipronged Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Background Understanding the mobility patterns and experiences of older adults with memory problems living at home has the potential to improve autonomy and inform shared decision making (SDM) about their housing options. Objective We aim to (1) assess the mobility patterns and experiences of older adults with memory problems, (2) co-design an electronic decision support intervention (e-DSI) that integrates users’ mobility patterns and experiences, (3) explore their intention to use an e-DSI to support autonomy at home, and (4) inform future SDM processes about housing options. Methods Informed by the Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) reporting guidelines, we will conduct a 3-year, multipronged mixed methods study in Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands. For Phase 1, we will recruit a convenience sample of 20 older adults living at home with memory problems from clinical and community settings in each country, for a total of 60 participants. We will ask participants to record their mobility patterns outside their home for 14 days using a GPS tracker and a travel diary; in addition, we will conduct a walking interview and a final debrief interview after 14 days. For Phase 2, referring to results from the first phase, we will conduct one user-centered co-design process per country with older adults with memory issues, caregivers, health care professionals, and information technology representatives informed by the Double Diamond method. We will ask participants how personalized information about mobility patterns and experiences could be added to an existing e-DSI and how this information could inform SDM about housing options. For Phase 3, using online web-based surveys, we will invite 210 older adults with memory problems and/or their caregivers, split equally across the three countries, to use the e-DSI and provide feedback on its strengths and limitations. Finally, in Phase 4, we will triangulate and compare data from all phases and countries to inform a stakeholder meeting where an action plan will be developed. Results The study opened for recruitment in the Netherlands in November 2018 and in Canada and Sweden in December 2019. Data collection will be completed by April 2021. Conclusions This project will explore how e-DSIs can integrate the mobility patterns and mobility experiences of older adults with memory problems in three countries, improve older adults’ autonomy, and, ultimately, inform SDM about housing options. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04267484; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04267484 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/19244