Let’s Talk Tech ™ is the first tool to empower families to make informed, shared decisions about using digital health technologies to support people with memory problems at home. It was developed by Dr. Clara Berridge in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Clinical Informatics Research Group with funding from the National Institute on Aging. Let’s Talk Tech is a research-based, self-administered web tool to help families understand and talk about different technology options.

Naturally, people feel differently about using technologies in the home that collect data about them to support their care. The goals are to educate people about diverse technologies and to engage older adults in talking about what they would or would not like to use to make it easier for care partners to follow their choices.

The development of Let’s Talk Tech and resulting research advances scientific understanding of how to engage people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia in decisions for how they will be monitored to reduce risks to their privacy and autonomy. It helps families navigate a complex technological landscape.