  The number of informal caregivers for family members with Alzheimer's Disease
(AD) is rising dramatically in the United States. AD caregivers
disproportionately experience numerous health problems and are often isolated
with little support. An active lifestyle can help prevent and mitigate physical
and psychological health concerns amongst AD caregivers. Research has
demonstrated how pervasive exergames can encourage physical activity (PA) in
the general population, yet little work has explored how these tools can
address the significant PA barriers that AD caregivers face. To identify
opportunities for design, we conducted semi-structured interviews and
participatory design sessions with 14 informal caregivers of family members
with AD. Our findings characterize how becoming an AD caregiver profoundly
impacts one's ability to be active, perspectives on being active, and the ways
that exergames might best support this population. We discuss implications for
design and how our findings challenge existing technological approaches to PA
promotion.
