Family Caregivers’ Experiences with and Acceptance of New Digital and AI-Enabled Technologies
摘要
Family caregivers play a critical role in the management and delivery of care, especially for older adults. Demographic changes in the U.S. are challenging the supply and availability of family caregivers and intensifying the strains on them. Previous research has shown that digital technologies can be used to relieve some of these strains but little work has been done to investigate the possibilities for AI-enabled technologies to support care-related tasks. In this study, current and former family caregivers were surveyed about their technology use habits for personal use and caregiving, their experiences with and attitudes toward digital and AI technologies, and proclivity to trust AI for various caregiving tasks. Caregivers were found to be relatively familiar and experienced with using digital technologies, but showed lower experience with and trust toward AI technologies and using technology for caregiving. Findings support ongoing discussions around the capacity for technology to aid caregivers and highlight contemporary shifts in the functions of or uses for various technologies. Future research may examine specific benefits experienced by caregivers after adopting certain technologies as well as how new technologies can be designed to support caregivers of different demographic groups or care arrangements.