iPads for people with dementia in residential care: A feasibility pilot randomized controlled trial

iPads with a personalised selections of apps. Participants will be randomised into two groups - the intervention group will receive a personalised iPad immediately while the control group will receive a personalised iPad at the conclusion of the six month trial. Prior to the intervention commencing with residents, a general training session will be offered to staff and interested family members. This session will provide information about what iPads are, how to use them and general guidelines on safe use of the internet and social media. It will also provide an opportunity for staff and families to ask questions and try out an iPad. The intervention with consumers will commence with an individual session with the Research Occupational Therapist. The Research Occupational Therapist will use the Aid for Decision Making in Occupational Choice (ADOC) to guide an interview with the resident about personally meaningful activities. The ADOC will generate a list of personally meaningful activities which align with their individual preferences and interests which will be used to select appropriate apps (e.g. the app of their favourite football club, a petcare simulator if they owned pets) and personalise the iPad. Apps will be selected based on individual preference, interests and functional abilities (including hearing, vision, physical and mental capacity). Once each device has been personalized, both staff and the resident will be offered training by the Research Occupational Therapist around using these specific apps. The resident is then free to use the iPad as they wish for the next six months and beyond. Patterns of app and device usage will be monitored using an analytical app which tracks which apps have been opened and how long users have engaged with them. The resident and Research Occupational Therapist may add additional apps over the trial, should relevant apps become available or the resident express an emerging interest or preference. Residents will be guided to use the device for no more than one hour at a time, but for at least two hours per week. Residential care staff, volunteers, and family members will be encouraged to regularly facilitate device use, and the devices will be left in the resident’s room for easy access. Examples of strategies for facilitation will include prompting the resident to use the device, providing support to select and open apps of interest, adjusting device settings (i.e. volume), sending data and resources (i.e. photos, emails) to access on the device and problem solving any issues which may arise. The Research Occupational Therapist will also visit on a regular basis (fortnightly) to support ongoing participation and usage, and volunteers will also be sought to support resident participation on these devices. Wireless internet access will be made available via sim cards within each iPad, and each resident will have an iPad for their exclusive use while they remain a resident at the care home. The progress of the intervention will be monitored by the Research Occupational Therapist, associate investigators (AI) and the chief investigator (CI), who will have regular contact with the residential care homes and each other throughout the six-month trial. At the conclusion of the intervention phase, and following collection of final outcome measures, the control group will receive the same training and support to set up their own personalised iPad.