Reasons for device use among caregivers of the frail elderly

While the effectiveness of assistive devices has been demonstrated, few clinicians have reported on the relationship of caregiving to assistive device use among the elderly. This pilot study explored the reasons for device use when a caregiver is present and compared the reasons for device use by female caregivers versus male caregivers. Reasons for device use stated by caregivers of elders who have many assistive devices that address physical impairments (physical devices) were compared to caregivers for those with fewer devices. Thirty caregivers from the Consumer Assessments Study (CAS) of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Aging (RERC-Aging) at the State University of New York at Buffalo were the sample pool for this portion of the study. Results suggest that interaction between caregivers and care recipients might negatively influence device use. Conversely, if devices were perceived useful by both caregivers and care recipients, this was strongly related to device use. A difference was found between male and female caregivers regarding the value of the time and attention they gave care recipients during everyday tasks. When responses of caregivers who used fewer devices were compared to those who used more, the areas of difference were knowledge of devices and the care recipients' need for devices.