Table 1.

Study Design, Theoretical Basis, Participant Demographics, AT Provided, Caregiver Outcomes, Location and Respondent for Included Studies

Reference	Study Design/Theoretical Basis or Hypotheses (Y/N)	AT User Demographics	Caregiver Demographics/Definition(Y/N)	Type of AT	Caregiver Outcomes	Region	Perspective
Mobility AT
Allen et al. 200127	S*/Y	N=9,230 reporting limitations in both mobility & activities of daily living, 63% female, mean age of 62 yr.	NR/Y	Wheel-chairs, walkers, canes, crutches	Use of canes & crutches, ↓ number of hours of informal care & wheelchair use, ↑ hours of informal care	NA	A
Allen et al., 200628	S*/Y	N=899 using a wheelchair in previous two weeks; 62% female, mean age of 67 yr.	NR/Y	Home modifications for wheelchairs	Inverse relationship noted between number of home modifications & hours of unpaid help	NA	A
Boss & Finlayson, 200030	QI/N	N=7 individuals with multiple sclerosis using powered mobility, 29% male, mean age of 49 yr.	N=4, spouses, 50% female, mean age of 57 yr./N	Powered mobility	↓ dependence on caregivers & ↑worries about safety	NA	B
Demers et al., 200916	QI/ Y	NR Individuals using powered mobility	N=19, 57% female, mean age of 53 yr., all relatives/N	Powered mobility	↓ anxiety, ↓ assistance, ↓ physical effort, ↓worries about safety, ↑free time, ↑ participation in personal & shared activities, & ↑ quality of relationship with user	NA	C
Frank et al., 200034	S/N	N=113 prescribed powered mobility mean age of 46 yr.	N=94, 51% spouses, 32% parents, & 16% others, Sex NR/N	Powered mobility	86% felt the chair made life for caregivers easier by letting the user go out alone, ↓ number of transfers & ↓ need for pushing	E	A
Frank et al., 201035	QI/N	N=64 prescribed powered mobility, 50% male, mean age of 46 yr.	N=80, 39% parents, 28% spouses, 15% siblings, 18% other/N	Powered mobility	44% of users reported on burden of care related to device use. 39% reported ↓ physical burden .44% noted practical problems for carers in term of size & weight of devices, transportation, & curbs & slopes. 19% reported concerns about safety	E	A
Kirby et al., 199438	S/N	N=577 community dwelling wheelchair users, 57% male, mean age of 44 yr.	NR/N	Manual wheelchairs	One caregiver was injured.	NA	A
Rudman et al., 200541	QI/N	N=16 with stroke, 75% male, mean age of 76 yr.	N=15, 87% co-resident spouses, 87% female, mean age of 68 yr./Y	Manual wheelchairs	Wheelchair became incorporated into daily life. Accessibility & transportation issues sometimes restricted activities & ↓spontaneity	NA	B
Medic-Alert or Cognitive AT
Baruch et al., 200429	CS/N	One woman in her 80’s with balance & memory problems	Son/N	Night-day reminder system	Night time phone calls to son went from 12 to 0 per night	E	R
Cahill et al., 200733	MM I/N	N=20 with dementia, 35% male, most between the ages of 70–80 yr.	N=20, 25% male, most between ages 34–51 & 61–75 yr./N	Five different types of devices	All caregivers reported finding the devices useful. Many had to prompt the user to use the device	E	C
Garceau et al., 200736	FG/Y	N=4 without cognitive impairment & with mobility or cardiovascular problems, 100% female, mean age of 77 yr.	N=6, 50% female, 50% daughters, mean age of 62 yr./N	Medic-alert device	↑ sense of security & ↓ sense of burden reported	NA	B
Starkhammar & Nygård, 200842	QI + O/N	N=9 with memory problems, 33% male, mean age of 80 yr.	N=5, 40% male, 40% spouses, 60% daughters/N	Stove timer	↓ worries about safety, but frustration noted when the device was engaged while caregivers were cooking	E	C
Topo et al., 200743	MM I/Y	N=50 with dementia, 38% male, most 80–90 yr. of age	N=50, 22% male, 49–58 yr. of age/Y	most Night & day calendar	Caregivers received ↓ questions & phone calls about time orientation, but some were frustrated because they needed to remind the user to use the device	E	C
Vincent et al., 2006.44	I/N	N=38 “frail” older adults, 92% female, mean age of 81 yr.	N=38, 76% children, 71% female/N	Medic-alert device	Significant improvements noted in 3 of 5 dimensions of caregiver burden: daily support provided, concern about user well-being, & caregiver effort	NA	C
Three or more Devices
Agree et al., 200513	S*/N	N=4,008 adults ≥ age 65 yr. who reported ≥1 ADL limitation. 64% female, 58% age 75+ yr.	NR/N	Devices primarily for mobility & bathing	↓ hours of informal care with AT associated, especially for persons who are unmarried, better educated, with better cognitive skills	NA	A
Agree et al., 200011	S*/Y	N=10,028 adults age 65+ yr. with a disability	NR/Y	Various (e.g., for mobility, dressing, & bathing)	Results were highly task specific. ↓ informal care when simple devices were used	NA	A
Brown & Mulley, 199731	CS/N	80 year old woman with multiple sclerosis & an 85 year old man	80 year old husband & a daughter/N	Homemade assistive devices	Two caregivers were injured using the devices	NA	R
Chen et al. 200032	S/N	N=20, 40% female, mean age 74 yr.	N=20, 80% spouses, 20% children, 75% female, mean age 67 yr./N	Various (e.g., for mobility, dressing, & bathing)	Most used the devices when caregiving (59%). ↓ assistance provided (59%)	NA	A
Kane et al., 200137	S/N	N=30 with moderate disability (age ≥60 yr.)	N=30, 73% female, mean age 65 yr., 29 relatives, 66% spouses/Y	Various (e.g., for mobility, dressing, & bathing)	Most agreed AT made it easier to assist the care recipient	NA	C
Nochajski et al., 199639	I + CS/N	N=20 with cognitive impairment, mean age of 79 yr.	N=17, 8 spouses, 6 children, 3 others; mean age of 62 yr./N	Mobility, personal care, sensory & cognitive functioning	↓ need for assistance & ↑efficiently of care	NA	C
Pettersson et al., 200540	QI/Y	N=12 with stroke requiring help everyday with personal or instrumental activities	N=12 spouses, 10 female, median age of 75 yr./N	Mobility, personal care, housekeeping, & home modifications	Facilitated residential living, but sometimes caused 1) anxiety about possible injury, 2) accessibility problems, & 3) concern about social stigma	E	C
Yang et al., 199745	I/N	N=7 with cognitive impairment, 43% male, mean age of 80 yr.	N=8, 75% female, mean age of 62 yr., all relatives/N	Mobility, personal care, sensory, environmental & cognitive functioning	Devices reported to assist care providers, ↓stress reported by 3 caregivers	NA	C

Abbreviation for column 1: CS, = case studies, FG= Focus Group, I= Intervention Study, MM= mixed methods, N=no, NR= not reported, O= Observations, QI= Qualitative Interviews, S= Survey, Y=yes *=Based on nationally representative 1994–95 United States National Health Interview Survey data; Abbreviations for column 2: yr.=years; Abbreviations for column 6: ↓= decreased, ↑= increased; Abbreviations for column 7: E=Europe, NA=North America, Abbreviations for column 8: A= AT User, B= both(AT User and caregiver), C=caregiver, R= researcher