How to fulfil social needs of older people: Exploring design opportunities for technological interventions

Abstract

Social needs are important basic human needs; when not satisfied, loneliness and social isolation can occur and subsequently sickness or even premature death. For older people social needs can be more difficult to satisfy because of the loss of resources such as health and mobility. Interventions for older people to satisfy social needs are often not evaluated and when evaluated are not proven successful. Technological interventions can be successful, but the relationship between technology and social wellbeing is complex and more research in this area is needed. The aim of this research is to uncover design opportunities for technological interventions to fulfil social needs of older people. Context-mapping sessions are a way to gain more insight into the social needs of older people and to involve them in the design of interventions to fulfil social needs. Participants of the context-mapping sessions were older people and social workers working with older people. Four sessions with a total of 20 participants were held to generate ideas for interventions to satisfy social needs. The results are transcripts from the discussion parts of the context-mapping sessions and collages the participants created. The transcripts were independently analysed and inductive codes were attached to quotations in the transcripts that are relevant to the research question and subsequently thematic analysis took place. Collages made by the participants were independently analysed by the researchers and after discussion consensus was reached about important themes. The following three main themes emerged: 'connectedness', 'independence' and 'meaningfulness'. Technology was not identified as a separate theme, but was addressed in relation to the above mentioned themes. Staying active in a meaningful way, for example by engaging in volunteer work, may fulfil the three needs of being connected, independent and meaningful. In addition, interventions can also focus on the need to be and remain independent and to deal with becoming more dependent. The older people in our study have an ambivalent attitude towards technology, which needs to be taken into account when designing an intervention. We conclude this paper by making recommendations for possible technological interventions to fulfil social needs.

To Meet, to Matter, and to Have Fun: The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Intervention to Fulfil the Social Needs of Older People

“…Our topic list was quite open (semi-structured) and was about the participants’ experience of Samsam. The topic list was partly based on our previous studies about the social needs of older people [6,7,8,9]. We asked questions in relation to bonding with the foreign students, for what reasons they participated, and if and why they would recommend Samsam to other older people.…”

“…These three needs largely correspond with the three needs of the aforementioned social production function theory of Steverink and Lindenberg [3]. Older people want to be independent for as long as possible and be connected to other people, to a neighborhood, or to society [6,7,8,9,10,11]. To engage in different activities and to be involved in the lives of others, both intimate and peripheral contacts, contributes to the well-being of older people [7,8,9,10,11].…”

“…Status also refers to being known for your achievements, skills, or assets. A study by Bruggencate [6] found that the social needs that are relevant for older people are connectedness, meaningfulness, and independence. These three needs largely correspond with the three needs of the aforementioned social production function theory of Steverink and Lindenberg [3].…”

“…In 2017, eleven students from the Dutch Design Academy in Eindhoven (DAE) were asked to design and implement an intervention that matched the social needs of older people based on the results and recommendations of previous studies [6,7,8,9]. One of the students developed an intervention that matched well with the results and considerations of these studies.…”

Technology Usage among Elderly with Self-Reported Hearing Disability: Results from InveCe.Ab

“…Notwithstanding their possible ambivalent attitude towards technology, elderly people may take advantage of technology (e.g. mobile phones) in order to properly fulfill their social and health needs [14]. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, no one has investigated the relationships between technology usage, focusing on mobile phones, and self-perceived hearing conditions, and its intertwinement with cognitive and functional status.…”