AbstractBackgroundAs the disease progresses, people with dementia (PWDs) gradually lose their ability to conduct activities of daily living (ADLs) independently and increasingly rely on family caregivers (CGs) for assistance and support. This can lead to CGs experiencing increased burden. These dyadic processes may be manifested by (a) CGs’ increased physical proximity to PWDs (reflecting greater needs for CGs to monitor PWD’s needs and safety, and (b) CGs’ increased movement (reflecting greater needs to assist PWDs with ADLs and taking on additional household responsibilities). Working with an industry partner, we developed a wearable watch that measured: (a) physical proximity between PWDs and CGs; and (b) movement of CGs and PWDs in their homes. In the current study, we examined how these wearable‐based measures correlated with standard measures of PWD’s ADLs and CG’s burden.MethodPWDs and CGs each wore a low‐energy Bluetooth watch that provided long‐battery‐life (up to four months). The watches broadcasted information about proximity to three Bluetooth receivers placed in different rooms (which helped us determine the proximity between the PWDs and CGs) and used a three‐axis accelerometer to determine movement on a second‐by‐second basis. In a nationwide US sample, 27 PWDs diagnosed with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their co‐residing familial CGs wore these watches over a six‐month period. CGs also completed online questionnaires assessing PWDs’ ADLs (Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) and their own perceived burden from caregiving (Zarit Burden Interview) at the beginning and the end of the study.ResultOver the six‐month period, greater increases in PWD‐CG proximity were associated with greater increases in CG’s burden (r = 0.57, p = .009). In addition, greater increases in CGs’ (but not PWDs’) movement were associated with greater decreases in PWD’s ADLs (r = ‐0.55, p = .005).ConclusionThese wearable devices show promise of providing scalable remote measures that are associated with ADLs in PWDs and burden in CGs. Findings also underscore the dyadic nature of dementia caregiving, with assessments of CGs useful for understanding changes in ADLs in PWDs, and assessments of PWDs useful for understanding changes in burden in CGs.