Smartphones of limited use to people with dementia, study finds

Smartphones and tablets can aid cognitive function in people without cognitive impairment, but there is scant evidence they can help those already suffering with dementia, a systematic review has found.

The University of Liverpool researchers searched six databases to find articles published between 2010 and 2021 that evaluated smartphone or tablet effectiveness for cognition or memory in older adults (those over 50) living in the community. In the 28 papers included in the narrative synthesis, they found some evidence that the use of smartphones and tablets could aid cognitive function in older adults without cognitive impairment, particularly executive function and processing speed. There was only “modest evidence”, however, “that smartphone and tablet use could support memory in both older adults without cognitive impairment and those with acquired brain injury and dementia.”

Researchers also found that smartphones and tablets were seen by users as “acceptable, enjoyable, and nonstigmatizing” alternatives to conventional assistive technology devices. They note, however, that current use of smartphone and tablet devices is hindered by a lack of digital literacy in older adults, as well as a lack of accommodation in the devices for adult users’ motor and sensory impairments, and a lack of input from clinicians and researchers.

Technophobia is a barrier to adoption

Smartphones, the researchers note, are “part of the everyday lives of today’s older adults and will become more important as the general population ages and the ‘older adult’ demographic grows to include people for whom smartphones and tablets have been an integral part of their lives for decades.” Despite their ubiquity, smartphones are currently underutilised by both users and clinicians to support cognitive and memory problems, they argue.

“Major barriers included cognitive, motor, and sensory impairments and device-specific complaints making these devices difficult to use without adjustments, but this barrier could be overcome with careful consideration and support from clinicians,” the researchers write.

Another common barrier is  “anxiety around technology or technophobia”, which “could be overcome through training interventions and continued practice with the devices.”

Much of the evidence in the review, they point out, derives from case studies and small-scale trials of smartphone and tablet training interventions.

The researchers say that further research is needed into older adults’ use of smartphones and tablets for cognitive support, both before and after the onset of cognitive impairment. This will help “develop effective evidence-based smart technology cognition and memory aids.”