Nurses' perception towards care robots and their work experience with socially assistive technology during COVID-19: A qualitative study.

This study aimed to explore nurses' perceptions towards care robots and their work experiences in caring for older adults who use socially assistive technology. This qualitative descriptive study included 18 nurses who cared for older adults with dementia or living alone at home. Interviews via Zoom were conducted, and the collected data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. The three themes were identified: (1) perceived benefits, (2) perceived challenges, and (3) improvements needed to enhance the quality of care. The participants perceived that the care robot and socially assistive technology were useful in caring for older adults during COVID-19. However, they noted that the limited capabilities of the technology and an increased workload negatively impacted the quality of care for older adults. The findings of this study indicated that socially assistive technology and care robots have potential benefits in assisting older adults with dementia or living alone.

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal [2022; Vol.28, Issue 11]

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal is the official health journal published by the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization. It is a forum for the presentation and promotion of new policies and initiatives in health services; and for the exchange of ideas concepts epidemiological data research findings and other information with special reference to the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It addresses all members of the health profession medical and other health educational institutes interested NGOs WHO Collaborating Centres and individuals within and outside the Region.

المجلة الصحية لشرق المتوسط هى المجلة الرسمية التى تصدرعن المكتب الاقليمى لشرق المتوسط بمنظمة الصحة العالمية. وهى منبر لتقديم السياسات والمبادرات الجديدة فى الصحة العامة والخدمات الصحية والترويج لها، و لتبادل الاراء و المفاهيم والمعطيات الوبائية ونتائج الابحاث وغير ذلك من المعلومات، و خاصة ما يتعلق منها باقليم شرق المتوسط. وهى موجهة الى كل اعضاء المهن الصحية، والكليات الطبية وسائر المعاهد التعليمية، و كذا المنظمات غير الحكومية المعنية، والمراكز المتعاونة مع منظمة الصحة العالمية والافراد المهتمين بالصحة فى الاقليم و خارجه

La Revue de Santé de la Méditerranée Orientale est une revue de santé officielle publiée par le Bureau régional de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé pour la Méditerranée orientale. Elle offre une tribune pour la présentation et la promotion de nouvelles politiques et initiatives dans le domaine de la santé publique et des services de santé ainsi qu’à l’échange d’idées de concepts de données épidémiologiques de résultats de recherches et d’autres informations se rapportant plus particulièrement à la Région de la Méditerranée orientale. Elle s’adresse à tous les professionnels de la santé aux membres des instituts médicaux et autres instituts de formation médico-sanitaire aux ONG Centres collaborateurs de l’OMS et personnes concernés au sein et hors de la Région.

It is time for a national strategy on equitable access to assistive technology in Canada.

The time has come to develop and implement a Canadian strategy on equitable access to Assistive Technology (AT). AT use has significant health, social, and economic benefits for people with disabilities and older people, and benefits society by assisting to mitigate the most prominent health and social challenges of our time. Our research with citizens (with/without experiences of disabilities or AT use) and system leaders across Canada determined that access is variable and inequitable, with unmet needs, restricted funding, and inefficiencies. Collaboratively, we devised a blueprint, comprising a policy vision, three priority issues to address, principles to underpin policy actions, and short- and long-term priorities, from which to build a strategy. We hope the blueprint sparks action among citizens and health leaders, especially those working across governments, sectors, and communities to promote leadership and create a cross-jurisdictional coalition to elaborate on a national strategy and action plans for moving forward.

Assistive Technology to Improve Collaboration in Children with ASD: State-of-the-Art and Future Challenges in the Smart Products Sector.

Within the field of products for autism spectrum disorder, one of the main research areas is focused on the development of assistive technology. Mid and high-tech products integrate interactive and smart functions with multisensory reinforcements, making the user experience more intuitive, adaptable, and dynamic. These products have a very significant impact on improving the skills of children with autism, including collaboration and social skills, which are essential for the integration of these children into society and, therefore, their well-being. This work carried out an exhaustive analysis of the scientific literature, as well as market research and trends, and patent analysis to explore the state-of-the-art of assistive technology and smart products for children with ASD, specifically those aimed at improving social and communication skills. The results show a reduced availability of products that act as facilitators of the special needs of children with ASD, which is even more evident for products aimed at improving collaboration skills. Products that allow the participation of several users simultaneously through multi-user interfaces are required. On top of this, the trend toward virtual environments is leading to a loss of material aspects in the design that are essential for the development of these children.

Telepsychology for Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: Protocol for a Randomized Control Study of Video-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Background: A substantial proportion of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience depression, which has been negatively associated with recovery and community participation after injury. Despite significant barriers to seeking and receiving in-person mental health care, little research has focused on the efficacy of telepsychology among individuals with SCI. Objectives: To describe the design and implementation of an ongoing single-center, randomized controlled, video-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention among individuals with SCI. Methods: Participants within 1 year of SCI will be randomized 1:1 to intervention or usual care in a 24-week study. Intervention participants will engage in 10 sessions of CBT over 12 weeks with a licensed clinical psychologist, using iPads via Apple FaceTime. Primary outcomes are depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and life satisfaction (as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Satisfaction with Life Scale, respectively) measured at three time points (baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks). These and other measures are also assessed during monthly telephone surveys conducted between primary timepoints. Results: Recruitment is ongoing. Forty-six participants have been enrolled thus far. Conclusion: Telepsychology is a convenient, flexible, and effective alternative to traditional in-person services. We anticipate that intervention participants will experience improvements in depressive and anxiety symptoms and will have greater life satisfaction. Telepsychology interventions among individuals with SCI are tasked to maintain participant privacy, provide assistive technology and/or engage caregivers to minimize mobility limitations, and manage risk remotely. Challenges encountered include recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Early intervention on symptoms of psychological morbidity using telepsychology may facilitate greater adaptation following SCI.

Cycling through 360° Virtual Reality Tourism for Senior Citizens: Empirical Analysis of an Assistive Technology.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in using virtual reality (VR) to (re)create different scenarios and environments with interactive and immersive experiences. Although VR has been popular in the tourism sector to reconfigure tourists' relationships with places and overcome mobility restrictions, its usage in senior cyclotourism has been understudied. VR is suggested to positively impact tourism promotion, cycling simulation, and active and healthy ageing due to physical and mental rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to assess the senior citizens' perceived experience and attitudes toward a designed 360° VR cyclotouristic experiment, using a head-mounted display (HMD) setting within a laboratory context. A total of 76 participants aged between 50 and 97 years old were involved in convergent parallel mixed-method research, and data were collected using a questionnaire based on the technology acceptance model, as well as the researchers' field notes. Findings suggest that 360° VR with HMD can be an effective assistive technology to foster senior cyclotourism by promoting tourism sites, simulating the cycling pedaling effect, and improving senior citizens' general wellbeing and independence with physical and mental rehabilitation.

On the Use of Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Outbreak: Results and Lessons Learned from Pilot Studies.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 emergency, frail citizens felt isolated because of social isolation, suspended and/or strongly reduced home assistance, and limited access to hospitals. In this sense, assistive technology could play a pivotal role in empowering frail older adults reducing their isolation, as well as in reinforcing the work of formal caregivers and professionals. In this context, the goal of this paper is to present four pilot studies-conducted from March 2020 to April 2021-to promptly react to COVID-19 by providing assistive technology solutions, aiming to (1) guarantee high-quality service to older adults in-home or in residential facility contexts, (2) promote social inclusion, and (3) reduce the virus transmission. In particular, four services, namely, telepresence service, remote monitoring service, virtual visit, and environmental disinfection, were designed, implemented, and tested in real environments involving 85 end-users to assess the user experience and/or preliminary assess the technical feasibility. The results underlined that all the proposed services were generally accepted by older adults and professionals. Additionally, the results remarked that the use of telepresence robots in private homes and residential facilities increased enjoyment reducing anxiety, whereas the monitoring service supported the clinicians in monitoring the discharged COVID-19 patients. It is also worth mentioning that two new services/products were developed to disinfect the environment and to allow virtual visits within the framework of a hospital information system. The virtual visits service offered the opportunity to expand the portfolio of hospital services. The main barriers were found in education, technology interoperability, and ethical/legal/privacy compliance. It is also worth mentioning the key role played by an appropriate design and customer needs analysis since not all assistive devices were designed for older persons.

CNN-LSTM Hybrid Real-Time IoT-Based Cognitive Approaches for ISLR with WebRTC: Auditory Impaired Assistive Technology.

In the era of modern technology, people may readily communicate through facial expressions, body language, and other means. As the use of the Internet evolves, it may be a boon to the medical fields. Recently, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has provided a broader platform to handle difficulties linked to healthcare, including people's listening and hearing impairment. Although there are many translators that exist to help people of various linguistic backgrounds communicate more effectively. Using kinesics linguistics, one may assess or comprehend the communications of auditory and hearing-impaired persons who are standing next to each other. When looking at the present COVID-19 scenario, individuals are still linked in some way via online platforms; however, persons with disabilities have communication challenges with online platforms. The work provided in this research serves as a communication bridge inside the challenged community and the rest of the globe. The proposed work for Indian Sign Linguistic Recognition (ISLR) uses three-dimensional convolutional neural networks (3D-CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) technique for analysis. A conventional hand gesture recognition system involves identifying the hand and its location or orientation, extracting certain essential features and applying an appropriate machine learning algorithm to recognise the completed action. In the calling interface of the web application, WebRTC has been implemented. A teleprompting technology is also used in the web app, which transforms sign language into audible sound. The proposed web app's average recognition rate is 97.21%.

Smartphone: A smart assistive device for people visual disabilities among COVID-19 pandemic.

Smartphones are becoming one of the most indispensable gadgets for everyone in today's digital world, with the continued incorporation of computer technology. For the past few years, the interaction between human and smartphone content has been improved significantly with innovative technologies using gestures, haptic, and sound instead of visual-based interaction. Such technologies are in the form of built-in features and accessible apps. Such an advanced way of interface design helps to access not only the content in phones but also assist to perform daily living activities. Evidence shows that such smartphones technology help in executing a wide range of functioning among people with visual impairment. Today, the COVID-19 pandemic causes a challenge to everyone, including one living with a vision loss, in maintaining the daily supplies and civic life. Unfortunately, the majority of such people cannot access smartphones, so they depend on a simple basic phone. It is the time to promote the benefits of such evolving smartphones technology in all the corners of the health-care sectors, practitioners, special educators, and even family members. Meanwhile, the relevant ministerial divisions of the Government of India need to develop a clear policy to augment access to smartphones, particularly among people with visual disabilities.

Using IoT Assistive Technologies for Older People Non-Invasive Monitoring and Living Support in Their Homes.

Many western societies are confronted with issues in planning and adapting their health policies due to an ageing population living alone. The "NOt Alone at Home-NOAH" project aimed to involve older people in the Agile co-creation of services for a collaborative monitoring and awareness notification for remote caregivers. Our research aim was to create a scalable and modern information system that permitted a non-invasive monitorization of the users for keeping their caregivers up to date. This was done via a cloud IoT (Internet of Things), which collects and processes data from its domotic sensors. The notifications generated by the system, via the three applications we developed (NOAH/NOAH Care/Admin Centre), offer caregivers an easy way of detecting changes in the day-to-day behaviour and activities of their patients, giving them time to intervene in case of abnormal activity. Such an approach would lead to a longer and more independent life for the older people. We evaluated our system by conducting a year-long pilot-study, offering caregivers constant information from the end-users while still living independently. For creating our pilot groups, we used the ABAS (Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System) II, which we then matched with the pre-profiled Behavioral Analysis Models of older people familiar with modern communication devices. Our results showed a low association between daily skills and the sensors we used, in contrast with the results from previous studies done in this field. Another result was efficiently capturing the behaviour changes that took place due to the COVID-19 Lockdown measures.

COVID-19 and challenges of assistive technology use in Iran.

PURPOSE: Assistive technology users may encounter challenges and inequality in having an access to health information and care during the emergency or in a crisis time. This issue seems to be understudied in most developing countries. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by Iranian people with disabilities faced during the COVID-19 pandemic as far as the use of assistive technology is concerned. METHOD: A thematic analysis approach was employed to collect and analyse the data. We interviewed 10, 12 and 20 participants with physical, visual, and hearing disability, respectively during the pandemic between May to July 2020. A six-step thematic analysis method was used to identify categories and main themes. RESULTS: The results revealed that people with disability were faced with some challenges in accessing information or receiving it on time during the emergency time. The lack of clear information may increase uncertainty about providing, using or maintaining assistive products. With no clear information or instruction, increased fear of infection, as well as the lack of necessary infrastructure for using available online applications, people with a disability had to rely more on others and seemed to feel disempowered. CONCLUSION: Assistive technology (AT) users may not receive enough care and attention during health crisis, nor may be included in crisis management programs. Actions to create preparedness plans to meet the needs of AT users in possible future crisis seem to be necessary.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAssistive technology users' voice and needs should be given priority in crisis management programs.Web accessibility barriers and information accessibility challenges need more research attention in order to create effective and timely information dissemination programs.There seems to be a research gap about AT users during health crisis, and more research in this area is needed.

Estimating need and coverage for five priority assistive products: a systematic review of global population-based research.

INTRODUCTION: To improve access to assistive products (APs) globally, data must be available to inform evidence-based decision-making, policy development and evaluation, and market-shaping interventions. METHODS: This systematic review was undertaken to identify studies presenting population-based estimates of need and coverage for five APs (hearing aids, limb prostheses, wheelchairs, glasses and personal digital assistants) grouped by four functional domains (hearing, mobility, vision and cognition). RESULTS: Data including 656 AP access indicators were extracted from 207 studies, most of which (n=199, 96%) were cross-sectional, either collecting primary (n=167) or using secondary (n=32) data. There was considerable heterogeneity in assessment approaches used and how AP indicators were reported; over half (n=110) used a combination of clinical and self-reported assessment data. Of 35 studies reporting AP use out of all people with functional difficulty in the corresponding functional domains, the proportions ranged from 4.5% to 47.0% for hearing aids, from 0.9% to 17.6% for mobility devices, and from 0.1% to 86.6% for near and distance glasses. Studies reporting AP need indicators demonstrated >60% unmet need for each of the five APs in most settings. CONCLUSION: Variation in definitions of indicators of AP access have likely led to overestimates/underestimates of need and coverage, particularly, where the relationship between functioning difficulty and the need for an AP is complex. This review demonstrates high unmet need for APs globally, due in part to disparate data across this sector, and emphasises the need to standardise AP data collection and reporting strategies to provide a comparable evidence base to improve access to APs.

The role of assistive technology in addressing social isolation, loneliness and health inequities among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: Assistive technology (AT) is an effective tool to promote social connectedness among older adults affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, its role in reducing loneliness and health inequities is not well understood. The goal of this scoping review was to construct a model for how technologies may be deployed to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social isolation, loneliness and health inequities for older adults. METHODS: PubMed, SCOPUS and PsychINFO were searched from 2010 to 2020 for the following keywords: "social isolation," "loneliness," "social support," "resilience," "technology," "pandemic" and "health inequit*." Articles selected for full analysis attempted to understand how technology alleviates social isolation and/or loneliness among older adults. RESULTS: Eighteen articles met the criteria for selection and data extraction. Six were review-type studies, seven were observational, three were randomized control trials, one opinion piece and one case study. ATs have been shown to reduce loneliness and social isolation, strengthen social support, and promote resilience among older adults. AT reduces loneliness both directly and indirectly, by affecting social isolation. There is insufficient evidence to determine technology's relationship to health inequities experienced by older adults. CONCLUSIONS: The model we have proposed should help advance research on the relationship between ATs and health inequities among older adults that may be aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesize that AT interventions for social support and functional competence should be sequenced to reduce health disparities.Implications for rehabilitationThe social distancing and quarantine measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic can be linked to adverse health outcomes among older adult populations.Technology is an effective tool to promote social connectedness among older adults affected by the pandemic.Assistive technology (AT) interventions for social support and functional competence should be sequenced in order to have best effects on reducing health disparities.

Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: The Roles of Government and Civil Society in Fulfilling the Social Contract.

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant challenges to users of assistive technology (AT). Three key issues emerged from a series of structured qualitative interviews with 35 AT users in six low- and middle-income countries. These were (1) access to information about COVID-19 and available supports and policies, (2) insufficiency of the government response to meet the needs of AT users, and (3) the response of civil society which partially offset the gap in government response. AT users noted the need for better communication, improved planning for the delivery and maintenance of AT during times of crisis, and higher-quality standards to ensure the availability of appropriate technology.

Digital personal assistants are smart ways for assistive technology to aid the health and wellbeing of patients and carers.

BACKGROUND: Digital health solutions such as assistive technologies create significant opportunities to optimise the effectiveness of both health and social care delivery. Assistive technologies include 'low-tech' items, such as memory aids and digital calendars or 'high-tech' items, like health tracking devices and wearables. Depending on the type of assistive devices, they can be used to improve quality of life, effect lifestyle improvements and increase levels of independence. Acceptance of technology among patients and carers depends on various factors such as perceived skills and competencies in using the device, expectations, trust and reliability. This service evaluation explored the impact of a pilot service redesign focused on improving health and wellbeing by the use of a voice-activated device 'smart speaker', Alexa Echo Show 8. METHODS: A service evaluation/market research was conducted for a pilot service redesign programme. Data were collected via a survey in person or telephone and from two focus groups of patients (n = 44) and informal carers (n = 7). The age of the study participants ranged from 50 to 90 years. Also, the participants belonged to two types of cohort: one specifically focused on diabetes and the other on a range of long-term health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, depression and others. RESULTS: The device had a positive impact on the health and social well-being of the users; many direct and indirect benefits were identified. Both patients and carers had positive attitudes towards using the device. Self-reported benefits included: reminders for medications and appointments improved adherence and disease control; increased independence and productivity; and for those living alone, the device helped combat their loneliness and low mood. CONCLUSION: The findings from the study help to realise the potential of assistive technology for empowering supporting health/social care. Especially, the season of COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for remote management of health, the use of assistive technology could have a pivotal role to play with the sustainability of health/social care provision by promoting shared care between the care provider and service user. Further evaluation can explore the key drivers and barriers for implementing assistive technologies, especially in people who are ageing and with long-term health conditions.

Assistive technologies for home NIV in patients with COPD: feasibility and positive experience with remote-monitoring and volume-assured auto-EPAP NIV mode.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with persistent hypercapnic respiratory failure are improved by long-term home non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Provision of home-NIV presents clinical and service challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of home-NIV in hypercapnic patients with COPD who had been set-up at our centre using remote-monitoring and iVAPS-autoEPAP NIV mode (Lumis device, ResMed). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a data set of 46 patients with COPD who commenced remote-monitored home-NIV (AirView, ResMed) between February 2017 and January 2018. Events including time to readmission or death at 12 months were compared with a retrospectively identified cohort of 27 patients with hypercapnic COPD who had not been referred for consideration of home-NIV. RESULTS: The median time to readmission or death was significantly prolonged in patients who commenced home-NIV (median 160 days, 95% CI 69.38 to 250.63) versus the comparison cohort (66 days, 95% CI 21.9 to 110.1; p<0.01). Average time to hospital readmission was 221 days (95% CI, 47.77 to 394.23) and 70 days (95% CI, 55.31 to 84.69; p<0.05), respectively. Median decrease in bicarbonate level of 4.9 mmol/L (p<0.0151) and daytime partial pressure of carbon dioxide 2.2 kPa (p<0.032) in home-NIV patients with no required increase in nurse home visits is compatible with effectiveness of this service model. Median reduction of 14 occupied bed days per annum was observed per patient who continued home-NIV throughout the study period (N=32). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the feasibility and provide initial utility data for a technology-assisted service model for the provision of home-NIV therapy for patients with COPD.

Impact of a Vibrotactile Belt on Emotionally Challenging Everyday Situations of the Blind.

Spatial orientation and navigation depend primarily on vision. Blind people lack this critical source of information. To facilitate wayfinding and to increase the feeling of safety for these people, the "feelSpace belt" was developed. The belt signals magnetic north as a fixed reference frame via vibrotactile stimulation. This study investigates the effect of the belt on typical orientation and navigation tasks and evaluates the emotional impact. Eleven blind subjects wore the belt daily for seven weeks. Before, during and after the study period, they filled in questionnaires to document their experiences. A small sub-group of the subjects took part in behavioural experiments before and after four weeks of training, i.e., a straight-line walking task to evaluate the belt's effect on keeping a straight heading, an angular rotation task to examine effects on egocentric orientation, and a triangle completion navigation task to test the ability to take shortcuts. The belt reduced subjective discomfort and increased confidence during navigation. Additionally, the participants felt safer wearing the belt in various outdoor situations. Furthermore, the behavioural tasks point towards an intuitive comprehension of the belt. Altogether, the blind participants benefited from the vibrotactile belt as an assistive technology in challenging everyday situations.

Access to Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: Voices of Users and Families.

The SARS COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2019 and has impacted people everywhere. Disparities in impact and outcomes are becoming apparent for individuals and communities which go beyond the trajectory of the disease itself, influenced by the strength and weaknesses of systems of universal health care, and the actions of civil society and government. This article is one of a series exploring COVID-19-related experiences of assistive technology (AT) users across the globe and implications for AT systems strengthening. AT such as mobility products, braille devices, and information communication technologies are key enablers of functioning, necessary to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Reporting on a survey of 73 AT users across six global regions, we demonstrate that minority groups already living with health inequities are unduly impacted. An AT ecosystem analysis was conducted using the WHO GATE 5P framework, that is, people, products, personnel, provision and policy. AT users and families call for inclusive pandemic responses which encompass their needs across the lifespan, from very young to very old. We offer specific recommendations for future action to strengthen access to AT across public policy and civil society in pandemic preparedness and response.

Assistive Technology Provider Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Globally, health systems face challenges in the delivery of assistive technology (AT) and only 10% of people are currently able to access the assistive products they need. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an uncharted path for AT providers to navigate, placing them under pressure to be agile and rapidly adapt. This article, part of a series, explores the experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on AT providers and aims to inform how AT providers can be better prepared and supported in the future. A mixed methods approach was used to gather service data and perspectives from AT providers via a survey. A total of 37 responses were received from 18 countries. Service data showed extensive service disruption throughout 2020. Thematic analysis suggested significant changes to routine AT service delivery including rapid momentum towards home-based, decentralised, and digital services for which many AT providers were not prepared. Providers were required to make difficult decisions and deliver services in new ways to balance meeting demands, complying with government restrictions, and ensuring the safety of staff and clients. Few but important positives were expressed including the belief that expanded capacity to use remote and digital AT service delivery would remain useful in the future.

State-of-the-Art Sensors for Remote Care of People with Dementia during a Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of people diagnosed with dementia. With diminishing public health and social care resources, there is substantial need for assistive technology-based devices that support independent living. However, existing devices may not fully meet these needs due to fears and uncertainties about their use, educational support, and finances. Further challenges have been created by COVID-19 and the need for improved safety and security. We have performed a systematic review by exploring several databases describing assistive technologies for dementia and identifying relevant publications for this review. We found there is significant need for appropriate user testing of such devices and have highlighted certifying bodies for this purpose. Given the safety measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this review identifies the benefits and challenges of existing assistive technologies for people living with dementia and their caregivers. It also provides suggestions for future research in these areas.