Communicating Care: Identifying Information and design requirements of Informal Caregivers of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment in changing scenarios

Due to the increase in the population of older adults with Cognitive Impairment (OwCI), a surge in the development of Unobtrusive Sensing Solutions (USSs) that can monitor care scenarios in real-time can also be observed. For effective implementation of these solutions, it is crucial to communicate necessary sensing information to caregivers according to their specific needs. In that direction, this study aims to gain insights into the information communication (IC) needs of informal caregivers who provide homecare to community dwelling OwCI living alone. A convergent mixed method study encompassing survey (N=464) and semi-structured interviews (N=10) using four different scenarios namely, Fall, Agitation, Nocturnal unrest, and Normal daily life was conducted. Based on the scenario-specific needs, design requirements in line with the Persuasive System Design (PSD) model were elicited. The study revealed that each care scenario has unique IC needs, with differences in the mode, content, and timing of information communication. Furthermore, four features (reduction, tunnelling, tailoring, and personalization) from the primary task support category and two features (reminder and suggestions) emerged from the dialogue support category of the PSD based on identified IC needs. Overall, the study highlights the need for adaptable and personalized designs to address the diverse IC needs of informal caregivers of OwCI living alone and receiving home care.