The CAREGIVERSPRO-MMD Platform as an Online Informational and Social Support Tool for People Living With Memory Problems and Their Carers: An Evaluation of User Engagement, Usability and Usefulness

Howe, David; Thorpe, Jonathan; Dunn, Rosie; White, Caroline; Cunnah, Kate; Platt, Rebecca; Paulson, Kevin; Wolverson, Emma

Abstract

People living with dementia or cognitive impairment (PwD) and their carers often have unmet needs for informational and social support postdiagnosis. Web-based platforms have the potential to address these needs, although few have been developed for use by both PwD and carers. The CAREGIVERSPRO-MMD platform was developed to provide both user groups with informational and peer-to-peer social support. Platform logging data were analyzed to assess the extent to which PwD (n = 37) and carers (n = 37) engaged with the platform and its social/informational features in their daily lives. Participants also provided feedback on the usefulness and usability of the platform. The majority of PwD and carers found the platform and its social/informational features useful and usable, and significant subsets of both groups utilized the platform regularly. However, carers engaged with the informational and social features to a greater extent than PwD, and users highlighted that PwD typically required regular support to use the platform.

Citation

Howe, D., Thorpe, J., Dunn, R., White, C., Cunnah, K., Platt, R., Paulson, K., & Wolverson, E. (2019). The CAREGIVERSPRO-MMD Platform as an Online Informational and Social Support Tool for People Living With Memory Problems and Their Carers: An Evaluation of User Engagement, Usability and Usefulness. Journal of applied gerontology, 39(12), 1303-1312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464819885326

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 8, 2019
• Publication Date: Nov 6, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 2, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 3, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Applied Gerontology
• Print ISSN: 0733-4648
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-4523
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 1303-1312
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464819885326
• Keywords: Keywords dementia; caregiving; information technology; technology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3168384
• Contract Date: Jan 2, 2020