THE POTENTIAL OF DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF OLDER ADULTS

Sep 29, 2026

Informal family caregivers provide most support to older adults living with chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, often at substantial personal cost. Caregiving roles span daily assistance and direct care through complex navigation of health care and social services, and research links ADRD caregiving to adverse effects on caregiver health and well-being. Many caregivers do not access existing programs, while digital tools—mobile apps, web platforms, sensing systems, and wearables—may reduce burden and distress. The presentation reviews available technologies, provides case examples, and summarizes ongoing research on feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy, including adoption factors and research recommendations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Overview of family caregiving challenges

Impacts on caregiver health and well-being

Barriers to existing services and evidence-based programs

Digital technology solutions for caregiver support

Promising tools: mobile apps, web platforms, sensing systems, wearables

Evidence and outcomes from research and case exemplars

Feasibility and acceptability of digitally delivered interventions

Efficacy and improvements in caregiver outcomes

Benefits, challenges, adoption factors, and research recommendations

Potential benefits and hurdles

Factors influencing technology adoption

Recommendations for needed research

336 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1136 THE POTENTIAL OF DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF OLDER ADULTS Sara Czaja, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States Informal caregivers, such as family members provide the bulk of support to older adults with a chronic condition such as Alzheimer’s Disease or a Related Dementia (ADRD) and often do so at considerable cost to themselves. The roles of family caregivers are complex and range from assistance with daily activities and providing direct care to the care recipient to navigating complex health care and social services systems. As such, numerous studies have documented that ADRD caregiving has deleterious impacts on caregiver health and well-being. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many caregivers do not avail themselves of existing services and programs and few evidenced-based programs are implemented in community settings. Digital technology solutions such as mobile applications, web-based platforms, sensing systems, and wearables hold promise in terms of enhancing the ability of caregivers to provide care and in reducing caregiver burden and distress. This presentation will discuss the potential of digital technology in providing support for family caregivers. An overview of available technology Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 337 solutions will be provided with case exemplars. Additionally, data will be presented from on-going research projects regarding the feasibility and acceptability of digitally based solutions such as virtually delivered interventions, which overall show that caregivers are receptive to and able to use technology. The data from these studies also show that technology-based interventions are efficacious and improve caregiver outcomes. Finally, the potential benefits and challenges with these solutions, factors associated with the adoption of technology and recommendations for needed research in this area will also be discussed.

FAQs

What caregiving challenges are described for family caregivers of older adults with ADRD?

Family caregiving is complex and ranges from help with daily activities and direct care to navigating health care and social services. Studies document negative impacts on caregiver health and well-being.

Why do many caregivers not use existing services and programs?

Many caregivers do not take advantage of available services and programs, and relatively few evidence-based programs are implemented in community settings for them to access.

How does digital technology help, and what evidence is presented?

Digital solutions such as mobile applications, web platforms, sensing systems, and wearables may enhance caregivers’ ability to provide care while reducing burden and distress. Ongoing research is summarized on feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy, showing caregivers can use technology and that digitally based interventions improve outcomes.

Sep 29, 2026

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