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BackgroundAging of the global population is slowly paving the way for new markets for care products and services. The desire of older people to maintain their independence while remaining at home is boosting the development of ambient assisted living (AAL) solutions. Lack of user awareness of AAL solutions paired with an insufficient use of user-centered and participatory design approaches in the development of these products has hindered the uptake of these solutions by end users. ObjectiveThis study aims to describe the usability and users’ experiences within a novel platform, ActiveAdvice, aimed at offering advice and a holistic market overview of AAL products and services. MethodsUsability tests were performed on the developed platform among identified prospective end users, with 32 older adults and informal carers from 4 European countries being part of the user tests. The usability and appeal of the web interface design, information flow, and information architecture were analyzed by collecting both objective and subjective measures. These would include pretest and posttest surveys, along with a series of think-aloud tasks to be performed within the platform. ResultsThe outcomes suggest that the ActiveAdvice platform’s objectives and functionalities are mostly aligned with the needs and expectations of end users, who demonstrated interest in using it, stressing its purpose along with its simple and intuitive interaction. Task completion rates were high, and participants had good satisfaction rates when navigating the platform. However, the tests still advocate for an improved design at some points and better disclosure of information. ConclusionsOur findings shed light on a few peculiarities of interface design, information architecture, user needs, and preferred functionalities, which should be applied to future developments of similar platforms with related services. The AAL field could benefit from tools supporting the dissemination of available AAL solutions and how they can improve one's quality of life. These tools may benefit not only older adults but also caregivers, business owners, and governmental employees.

Online interventions have been explored to support informal dementia caregivers. Despite favourable evidence on the effectiveness of such interventions, substantial non-use and dropout attrition are reported. This cross-sectional study characterises attitudes and preferences of digitally skilled dementia caregivers (N = 157) towards online psychoeducational interventions (OPIs) and explores associations of attitudes with sociodemographic, context of care, and internet use variables, as well as with previous use of psychosocial interventions, and valorisation of intervention features. Attitudes towards OPIs were moderately positive, but only one-third of caregivers trusted the effectiveness of OPIs. More participants would choose face-to-face (43%) than online interventions (31.4%). The former were seen as more trustworthy and less prone to dropout. Convenience was the most valued intervention feature, and preferences were stated for OPIs with friendly interfaces, free-of-jargon language and allowing to interact with professionals. The multivariable linear regression model suggests that using the internet at least once a week; having ever used a conventional psychosocial intervention; valuing an intervention for its convenience, sessions of short duration, self-personalisation of the plan, and progress self-monitoring, are associated with more favourable attitudes towards OPIs. Findings from this study should inform on the design, targeting and implementation of OPIs for dementia caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore how informal caregivers of persons with dementia perceive training needs and preferences in the context of online training and support interventions. Background: Informal dementia caregivers commonly present high needs across several domains. Paradoxically, they are more likely to have unmet needs and lower levels of service usage when compared to other caregivers. Most studies on unmet needs of dementia caregivers have been quantitative and resorted to assessment checklists, with a minority focusing on subjective needs. Design: Mixed‐methods. Methods: Eighty‐eight Portuguese digitally literate caregivers filled a web‐based questionnaire collecting written statements on training needs and importance ratings on design preferences. Content analysis of text data was carried out by two independent researchers to check the reliability of the analytic process. Descriptive statistics were produced for ratings on design preferences, and associations with caregivers' sociodemographic and care‐related variables were inspected. Reporting followed the criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist. Results: Five main categories of training needs have emerged: knowledge of dementia; care interactions; caregiver self‐care; community resources; and laws or regulations affecting the caregiver and the care recipient. The most reported need was on care interactions, on the subcategory of providing good quality care. Thematic prominence was analysed according to the caregiver, caregiving and health perception characteristics, with trends found on formal education, relationship with the care recipient, number of hours caring per week, perceived level of dependence of the care recipient and perceived physical and psychological health status of the caregiver. Most valued design features included the use of plain language, easy to interact interface and communication with a professional. Conclusions: Findings from this study further support the delivery of comprehensive interventions addressing the multiple needs of caregivers. Relevance to clinical practice: Clues are provided for the delivery of online interventions, and conclusions are useful to health professionals working with dementia caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participant attitudes are an explanatory factor for attrition in online health‐related interventions. However, its assessment prior to interventions start is uncommon, partly because proper measures are missing. This study presents the psychometric properties of a new scale measuring attitudes towards online psychoeducational interventions (OPIs). Structural validity, reliability and screening performance of the Online Psychoeducational Intervention – Brief Attitudes Scale (OPI‐BAS) were studied in a sample of 157 dementia caregivers. Scale cut‐off scores were derived to categorise the participants into 'OPIs sympathisers' or 'non‐sympathisers'. Groups were compared across sociodemographic and internet use variables. A parsimonious five‐item version of OPI‐BAS demonstrated good structural validity, with one factor explaining 63.3% of variance. Internal consistency of the scale was high (α = 0.85). OPI‐BAS showed good screening performance in identifying individuals with either a preference to use conventional face‐to‐face or online psychoeducational interventions (area under the curve = 0.84). An optimal cut‐off score of 20 was suggested by the receiver operating characteristic graph, providing good sensitivity (74%) and specificity (84%). No significant differences were found between groups on sociodemographic and internet use variables. Attitudes towards OPIs were overall positive, but face‐to‐face interventions were preferred. This study offers preliminary support to the psychometric quality of OPI‐BAS. This short scale has practical applications for research and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Informal caregivers of people with dementia often struggle with several stressors, and their mental and physical health can be negatively affected by providing care. iSupport is an online self-help programme designed by the World Health Organization to provide education, skills training, and support to those caregivers. Purpose: This paper describes the development of an adapted version of iSupport to the Portuguese culture. We present the adaptation process, methods used and results for the country-specific version. Methods: The adaptation of iSupport was operationalised in five steps: needs assessment; content translation by an authorised translator and technical accuracy check by health professionals; cultural adaptation; independent appraisal of contents by an expert panel; and fidelity check by programme authors. Results: Findings indicated the adjustments needed in the original iSupport contents. Overall, 323 text excerpts were proposed to adaptation, comprising semantic and conceptual equivalence of expressions, and adjustments to cultural habits, customs, traditions, local resources, and practices. The expert panel identified the need to reformulate definitions, designations, recommendations, and case studies to fine-tune the original contents to local knowledge and practices. Most adaptations were considered to be in line with the core concepts of the original programme. Conclusions: iSupport is an innovative tool capturing the attention of several organisations around the world interested in translating, adapting, and using the programme. This paper is the first describing the methodological approach for culturally adapting iSupport, constituting an essential resource for those aiming to replicate the process or culturally adapting evidence-based interventions. Tailoring iSupport to the Portuguese context was critical to accommodate the cultural experiences of the target group as well as the knowledge, theoretical approaches, and practices of local professionals. The European-Portuguese version of iSupport introduces the adjustments needed to implement a useful new intervention programme aimed at minimising the psychological distress of Portuguese caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]