COBALT, TUNGSTEN, and THAW: New tools for engaging older adults as technology experts

Astell, Arlene; Andrews, Jacob A; Bennion, Matthew Russell; Clayton, D.; Dove, Erica; Ellis, Murray; Hwang, Fu Shang; McGrath, Colleen; Williams, Edward

doi:10.4017/gt.2018.17.s.076.00

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…To address these gaps in knowledge, this study sought to use an innovative and interactive methodology to understand what motivates and prevents the use of digital technologies to support mental health among older adults. Therefore, this study was based on the Challenging Obstacles and Barriers to Assisted Living Technologies (COBALT) [29] principle of user as expert [30]. According to this principle, older adult users of technology are considered the most knowledgeable on the reasons for their adoption and continued use, or abandonment, of particular technologies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Adults’ Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study

et al. 2019

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Background A growing number of apps to support good mental health and well-being are available on digital platforms. However, very few studies have examined older adults’ attitudes toward the use of these apps, despite increasing uptake of digital technologies by this demographic. Objective This study sought to explore older adults’ perspectives on technology to support good mental health. Methods A total of 15 older adults aged 50 years or older, in two groups, participated in sessions to explore the use of digital technologies to support mental health. Interactive activities were designed to capture participants’ immediate reactions to apps and websites designed to support mental health and to explore their experiences of using technology for these purposes in their own lives. Template analysis was used to analyze transcripts of the group discussions. Results Older adults were motivated to turn to technology to improve mood through mechanisms of distraction, normalization, and facilitated expression of mental states, while aiming to reduce burden on others. Perceived barriers to use included fear of consequences and the impact of low mood on readiness to engage with technology, as well as a lack of prior knowledge applicable to digital technologies. Participants were aware of websites available to support mental health, but awareness alone did not motivate use. Conclusions Older adults are motivated to use digital technologies to improve their mental health, but barriers remain that developers need to address for this population to access them.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Adults’ Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study

et al. 2019

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“…Hearing the voice of staff as experts and recognizing their needs in relation to technology adoption and support are also crucial for successful implementation and rollout of technologies as part of person-centered services ( Christie and Marshall, 2019 ). Sharing expertise from different stakeholders, including social care and health care, meant it was possible to consider how both types of services might make use of technology to support their work with older adults, and to better understand the experiences and views of the older people they support ( Astell et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology for Healthy Aging and Wellbeing: Co-producing Solutions

et al. 2021

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Methods to facilitate co-production in mental health are important for engaging end users. As part of the Technology for Healthy Aging and Wellbeing (THAW) initiative we organized two interactive co-production workshops, to bring together older adults, health and social care professionals, non-governmental organizations, and researchers. In the first workshop, we used two activities: Technology Interaction and Scavenger Hunt, to explore the potential for different stakeholders to discuss late life mental health and existing technology. In the second workshop, we used Vignettes, Scavenger Hunt, and Invention Test to examine how older adults and other stakeholders might co-produce solutions to support mental wellbeing in later life using new and emerging technologies. In this paper, we share the interactive materials and activities and consider their value for co-production. Overall, the interactive methods were successful in engaging stakeholders with a broad range of technologies to support mental health and wellbeing and in co-producing ideas for how they could be leveraged and incorporated into older people’s lives and support services. We offer this example of using interactive methods to facilitate co-production to encourage greater involvement of older adults and other under-represented groups in co-producing mental health technologies and services.

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“…Each table had a research assistant assigned to it, who took detailed notes of the discussions that took place during each of the three methods of data collection, which included: (1) show and tell; (2) technology interaction; and (3) app assessment. These methods were adapted from the Challenging Obstacles & Barriers to Assistive Living Technologies (COBALT) project (Astell et al., 2018; for more information see https://cobaltproject.net/). The first method was show and tell , which was designed to capture how individuals make personal decisions about technology use or abandonment.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The environmental factors that influence technology adoption for older adults with age-related vision loss

McGrath

Corrado

2018

British Journal of Occupational Therapy

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Introduction With the increasing proportion of older adults aging with vision loss, low-vision assistive devices can help to support occupational engagement; however, such devices are grossly underused among this population. The overarching purpose of this project was to examine the environmental factors that influence technology adoption for older adults with age-related vision loss. Methods A one-day workshop, which utilized a variety of hands-on methods including Show & Tell, Technology Interaction, and an “App” Assessment activity, was conducted. A total of 19 participants attended the workshop, including 10 older adults with age-related vision loss, six caregivers, one healthcare provider, and two technology industry professionals. Results A total of four themes emerged, including: (1) making life harder; (2) relying on support networks; (3) factoring in the pragmatics; and (4) not me, not yet. These themes illustrate the various ways that environmental factors, including physical, social, cultural, and institutional/political factors, influence decision-making regarding technology adoption by older adults with age-related vision loss. Conclusion This paper demonstrates several environmental factors that influence low-vision assistive device adoption among older adults with age-related vision loss. With their holistic view of clients, including an appreciation for environmental influences, occupational therapists are well positioned to help identify those environmental barriers limiting low-vision assistive device adoption and use.

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COBALT, TUNGSTEN, and THAW: New tools for engaging older adults as technology experts

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Older Adults’ Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study

Older Adults’ Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study

Technology for Healthy Aging and Wellbeing: Co-producing Solutions

The environmental factors that influence technology adoption for older adults with age-related vision loss

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