Louise Nygård
Karolinska Institutet
Sweden
Programme Grant Care: Living and ageing with cognitive impairments in the technological landscapes of homes and public places
Forte, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
1,958,651
1-12 2013
6.0
Alzheimer's disease & other dementias
In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on participation in society for people with different kinds of functional impairments. This requires an accessible society. Much focus has been placed on physical accessibility, while little is known of the cognitive aspects. Technology use is very important in todays society, and peoples participation in everyday life are increasingly influenced by the development and use of technology; both Everyday Technology, ET (e.g. cell phones, electronic household equipment, cash machines) and Assistive Technology, AT (e.g. electronic calendars and reminders). This on-going research programmes departure point is in the identified gap between the technologically developed society and the possibility for people living and ageing with cognitive impairments to manage technology, and to access and use public spaces, part of the accessibility problem being related to technology.
The first track investigates the match between technology users with cognitive impairment and the requirements of technologies, with the aim to critically investigate the conditions for use, adaptation and development of technology to meet these users needs and desires, to identify mismatches and consequences of these, as well as to identify and try out improvements. The second track; access to and usability of places and activities in public space, particularly outside the home: promoting engagement and participation, aims at providing new knowledge of the conditions for participation in public space and society outside the home for people with cognitive impairment, and to identify possible avenues to increase accessibility and provide relevant support. In both tracks, the research is undertaken in collaboration with different disciplines nationally and internationally, and in close collaboration with the health care practice field, aiming at continuous development through knowledge translation and implementation of new knowledge.