Using a smart audio device, Tochie to deliver family messages in long-term care

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Long-term care (LTC) residents are more likely to experience loneliness, social isolation and have dementia (Garner et al., 2018;Hou & Ngo, 2021). The effects of isolation have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While assistive technology has been a popular topic in gerontological health research, there have been limited findings on the experience of technology adoption in complex care environments such as LTC, and on family member and staff perspectives. "Tochie" is a smart audio device that allows family and significant others to remotely record and schedule messages, such as daily reminders or comforting audio recordings, to send to their loved ones in care settings. Our research explores the experiences of residents, families, and staff using the Tochie device in LTC.