A Library-Based "Tech Club" for Older Adults Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners: A Codesigned Pilot Project

Abstract: Addressing the digital divide is recognized as important, but less is known about how best to support older adults (fifty-five+) living with dementia and their care partners' digital learning needs. This paper reports on a partnership project between a university aging research center and a local Canadian public library. The aim was to support the social participation, connection, and inclusion of community-dwelling older adults (fifty-five+) living with dementia and their care partners through a codesigned "tech club" to address their self-identified digital learning needs. Data was collected between June 2024 and January 2025 via two codesign workshops, one-on-one pre-interviews, pre- and post-session mood questionnaires, ethnographic style field notes taken during each "tech club" session, and follow-up focus groups and interviews. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis. We report findings related to the participants' motivations for attending a dementia tech club, perceived social well-being benefits, potential challenges of a dementia tech club, and the importance of promoting tech-based opportunities to individuals living with dementia and their care partners. The findings demonstrate a mechanism (tech clubs) to address the digital divide for people living with dementia and promote social connection.