Abstract
Assessment of touchscreen manipulation skills is essential for determining the abilities of older individuals and the extent to which they may benefit from this technology as a means to enhance participation, self-esteem, and quality of life. The aim of this study was to compare the touchscreen manipulation ability between community-dwelling older adults and middle-aged adults using a newly developed Touchscreen Assessment Tool (TATOO) and to determine the usability of this instrument. Convenience samples of two age groups were considered, one including 28 independent community-living older adults aged 81.9 ± 4.2 years with intact or corrected vision and with the abilities to walk independently with or without a walking aid and to understand and follow simple commands, and the other including 25 healthy middle-age adults aged 53.4 ± 5.9 years. The usability assessment was conducted during a single session using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Older adults demonstrated poorer touchscreen skills compared to middle-aged adults. Previous experience in manipulating a smartphone by the older adults did not affect their performance. The SUS results indicated good usability of the TATOO by both age groups. The TATOO shows promise as a user-friendly tool for assessing the specific skills needed to operate touchscreens. The outcomes of this study support the suitability of touchscreen devices and applications as well as the need for adapted accessibility for older adults. Researchers and clinicians will benefit from the availability of a rapid, low-cost, and objective tool to assess the skills required for touchscreen use.
Highlights
Hand function is an important component of one’s ability to lead an independent and active life within a community
The approach recommended by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) [4] for evaluating hand function in older adults focuses on assessments targeting two broad domains
Participants were excluded from the study if they had moderate to severe balance or gait impairments, chronic medical conditions that could affect hand function, severe pain that adversely affected the performance of functional daily activities, or uncorrected vision or hearing impairments
Summary
Hand function is an important component of one’s ability to lead an independent and active life within a community. Loss of manual hand functioning in this age group often results from natural age-related deterioration in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems [2]. The impact of these changes may lead to difficulties in performing basic and instrumental activities of daily life (Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), respectively) [3]. The second focuses on the skills needed to perform BADL and IADL, which impact one’s independence and participation in daily occupations The skills in the latter domain have traditionally been assessed by observing the performance of activities
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