Everyday technology (ET) is today an essential and integrated part of the environment in industrialized societies. Performance of everyday activities, such as managing finances, using public transportation, or keeping in touch with friends and family, inevitably comprises use of many technologies at home and in public spaces. Some examples are internet banking, automatic ticket vending machines for travel, and topping up prepaid mobile phone cards (1). Many interacting aspects influence how activities are chosen and managed (2). The objects that are required to perform an activity, such as ETs, are one important condition, while the person’s capacities, values, and habits are others. Moreover, the shared norms in a
society considering what kind of ETs inhabitants are expected to own and use have a major influence on activity choices and management of activities (3).
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) also face requirements of ability to manage ET in order to participate in activities and society. However, recent longitudinal study findings suggest that this ability is likely to fluctuate or decline for subgroups of persons with MCI even in the first years of diag- nosed memory impairment (4). Although ET use is a field attracting rising interest in research, knowledge is still sparse concerning the nature and consequences of the successively increasing difficulties of persons with MCI when using ETs. It is essential to increase the understanding of a potential withdrawal from ET use in persons with MCI, as non-use is a possible marker of restricted participation in activities; this is an issue of great relevance to occupational therapy.