Digital Assistance Technology Field Trial

This study was conducted as part of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging among People with Long-Term Disabilities (RERC TechSAge). The study evaluated the efficacy of digital assistance technologies in the homes of older adults aging with mobility disability, the benefits of the technologies, facilitators and barriers to learning to use the technologies and what perceptions do older adults have on these technologies. The technologies used were the Amazon Echo Show 8, Amazon Smart Plug, and Philips Hue Smart Lightbulb. Participants were asked to respond to different survey data and interview questions during periodic research encounters held over Zoom teleconferencing software such as what they used the technologies for, how confident they are in using the technologies and how the technologies have helped them. Study research encountes were done at 5 time points, the Orientation (T1), Initial Set Up (T2), 1-week (T3), 5-week (T4), and the optional 10-week (T5).