Digital Pathways to Family Bonds: Exploring WhatsApp Video Calls Adoption by Older Adults With Intellectual Disability in Out-of-Home Residence.
Carmit-Noa Shpigelman, Michal Isaacson, Adi Cohen-Nudelman
PMID 41540640WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with intellectual disability valued seeing family on video, but most could not use the tablet freely because staff stored it away.
Those who gained independence in calling also faced distress when family did not answer, showing access and emotional support are essential.
Key findings
01Six of sixteen participants described improved family contact, but ten reported no change, often due to lack of access or prior frequent contact.
02Nine of sixteen participants were denied free physical access to the tablet, with staff storing it away due to doubts about residents' ability to use it without damage.
03Residents who could initiate calls independently experienced distress and a sense of rejection when family members did not answer, with one participant refusing to continue using the technology.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was heterogeneous, and participants with lower cognitive levels gave shorter, less informative answers, which may have missed nuances in their experience. Social desirability bias is a risk, as participants may have reported positive feelings to please the interviewer, who was also the intervention provider. Only residents were interviewed; family members and staff were not, so the study cannot confirm the families' perspective on the unanswered calls or the staff's reasoning for restricting access. The intervention lasted only one month, so it is unknown whether adoption patterns or emotional responses would have changed with longer-term use.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Israeli Shalem Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that video calls reliably improve well-being for all older adults with intellectual disability. Six of sixteen participants reported no change in family contact, and for some, the ability to initiate calls led to distress and feelings of rejection when family members did not answer.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →