Reducing the Burdens of Paid Caregivers of Older Adults by Using Assistive Technology: A Scoping Review.
U Yeong Choi, Patrick Patterson, Norma Chinho
PMID 38420931WHAT IT FOUND
Paid caregivers reported less physical strain with handrails, transfer devices and bidet seats, but sensors and robots were also reported to bring alarm burden, extra effort and worry.
The evidence is too small and mixed to prove these technologies work.
Key findings
01The review found only 15 articles from 2017 to 2022, and the body of work is too small and methodologically mixed to evaluate whether assistive technology works for paid caregivers.
02Physical aids were reported to reduce caregiver physical strain: one survey found caregivers in households with one handrail were 58% less likely to report high physical burden, and bidet seats prevented nonneutral posture by 15% and severe flexion by 32%.
03Monitoring and social robots had mixed reported caregiver impacts: sensors were reported to reduce supervision and improve confidence or job satisfaction, but alarms, extra effort, fear of blame and replacement were also reported.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review was rapid, and one person screened articles and charted data, so relevant studies may have been missed. The evidence base is very small and mixed: 15 articles from 9 countries, with only 2 small randomized controlled trials, so it cannot show whether technologies work. Studies looked at different technologies and different caregiver burdens, so results are not directly comparable. Articles from English-speaking countries made up 53.3% of the reviewed literature, and all but one study was conducted in a high-income country. The review excluded studies focused exclusively on regulated healthcare professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and physicians, so it does not describe those clinicians' own experiences.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that assistive technology reduces caregiver burden or improves older adult care. The review covers a small, heterogeneous body of evidence, and the authors state it is not enough for rigorous efficacy evaluation.