Usability of the Smartwatch as a Prospective Memory Aid for Cognitively Diverse Older Adults

Smartwatches have potential to provide support for prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember and carry out an intention in the future. How older adults (OAs), particularly those with cognitive impairment (CI), might interact with smartwatches is undetermined. This study aimed to understand the usability of smartwatches among cognitively diverse OAs and the potential for smartwatches to serve as reminder aids for this population. Participants were 58 OAs (age 60+) with and without CI. After using a smartwatch as a reminder aid for 10 days, participants gave low usability ratings overall, and the smartwatches did not aid performance of a daily PM task. Perceived usefulness of the smartwatches was associated with subjective memory, suggesting that perceived memory challenges may play an important role in smartwatch adoption. Results can inform the development of future efficacy tests and interventions involving smartwatches.