Ability to manage everyday technology : a comparison of persons with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and older adults without cognitive impairment

Purpose: The ability to manage technology is important for performance and participation in everyday activities. This study compares the management of technology in everyday activities among people with mild-stage dementia or MCI with older adults without known cognitive impairment (OA). Method: Persons with mild-stage dementia (n=38), MCI (n=34) and OA (n=45) were observed and interviewed when managing their everyday technology at home by using the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment (META). A computer application of a Rasch measurement model was used to generate measures of participants’ ability to manage technology. These measures were compared group-wise with ANCOVA. Results: The management of everyday technology was significantly more challenging for the samples with mild-stage AD or MCI compared to the OA sample (AD – OA, p<0.001; d=1.87, MCI – OA, p<0.001; d=0.66 ). The sample with MCI demonstrated a significantly higher ability to manage technology than the sample with mild-stage AD (AD – MCI, p