Usability of a New eHealth Monitoring Technology That Reflects Health Care Needs for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments and Their Informal and Formal Caregivers

The aim of this study was to evaluate an eHealth monitoring application (HELMA) that provides insight in the health status of older adults with cognitive impairments (CI) independently living at home and their caregivers. A mixed-method approach was used to collect data on Usability (System Usability Scale) and Actual Use (Log data). Besides, a subgroup of participants were randomly selected and interviewed about their experiences with HELMA (Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Behavioural Intention to Use and Attitude). Fifty-four older adults, fifteen formal and fourteen informal caregivers participated in this study. Results showed that HELMA is a useful supplement in the current care for older adults with cognitive impairments. The average SUS score of HELMA of formal caregivers indicated “good” usability. The questions of HELMA are clear. However, older adults lacked digital skills to use HELMA by themselves. Most of the participants (80%) used HELMA according to protocol, for a minimum of 4 weeks. The attitude towards willingness to learn and to use a technology were negative for almost all older adults. More attention to different implementation strategies is needed to increase the eHealth literacy of older adults with CI, to improve independent use of HELMA in the future