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Older people’s views on what they need to successfully adjust to life with a hearing aid
- Author:
- KELLY Timothy B.
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 21(3), 2013, pp.293-302.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article reports a study exploring what older people believe would enable them to adjust to and gain maximum benefit from wearing a hearing aid. A mixed methods approach was employed during 2006 involving interviews with key stakeholders, a survey across three Scottish health board areas and focus groups. Nine key stakeholders from six national and local organisations were interviewed about the needs of older people being fitted with hearing aids. In total, 240 older people belonging to three different types of hearing impaired older people were surveyed: long-term users of hearing aids, new hearing aid users, and those on a waiting list from urban and rural areas (response rate = 24%). A series of eight follow-up focus groups with 31 audiology patients was held. Health professionals appeared to neglect appropriate provision of information and overly rely on technological interventions. Of 154 older people already fitted with hearing aids, only 52% of hearing aid users reported receiving enough practical help post fitting and only 41% reported receiving enough support. Approximately 40% reported not feeling confident in the use of their aids or their controls. Older people wanted more information than they received both before and after hearing aid fitting. Information provision and attention to the psychosocial aspects of care are key to enabling older people to adjust and optimise hearing aid benefit. (Publisher abstract)
The two facets of electronic care surveillance: an exploration of the views of older people who live with monitoring devices
- Author:
- ESSEN Anna
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 67(1), July 2008, pp.128-136.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Scholars are increasingly questioning the notion that electronic surveillance merely constrains individuals' liberty and privacy. However, illustrations of alternative perspectives are few and there is a need for empirical research exploring the actual experience of surveilled subjects. This study, carried out in Sweden, seeks to offer a nuanced account of how senior citizens experience electronic care surveillance in relation to their privacy. It is based on in-depth interviews with 17 seniors who have participated in a telemonitoring project and who have experience of being continuously activity monitored in their own homes. The findings suggest that senior citizens can perceive electronic care surveillance as freeing and as protecting their privacy, as it enables them to continue living in their own home rather than moving to a nursing home. One individual, however, experienced a privacy violation and the surveillance service was interrupted at her request. This illustrates the importance of built-in possibilities for subjects to exit such services. In general, the study highlights that e-surveillance can be not only constraining but also enabling. Hence, it supports the view of the dual nature of surveillance. The study also illustrates the agency of the surveilled subject, extending the argument that various agents actually participate in the construction of surveillance practices. It analyses the indirect role and responsibility of the surveilled subject, and thereby questions the traditional roles ascribed to the agents and targets of surveillance.
The lived experience of older people using assistive technology
- Authors:
- MCCAIG Marie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 16(4), 2012, pp.170-174.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The aim of this small-scale investigation was to gain an appreciation of the conceptions, feelings and beliefs about the use of assistive technology (AT) in older people. A Husserlian phenomenological approach was adopted because of its descriptive rather than interpretive philosophy. Six individuals, aged over 65 years living in the same supported housing accommodation in Scotland were interviewed. Six key themes emerged: being unsure; being old; being a bother; being on my own; being neighbourly and being independent. Reactions to assistive technology were highly individualised and salient. The authors believe that AT has the potential to significantly impact on care delivery but suggest that in order to humanise the technology it is necessary to understand the person who is using it. They stress the importance of making sure that users are sufficiently well informed to enable them to make informed joint decisions. Whenever possible carers and family members should be involved. It is suggested that the question is not about whether to install AT but how to do so in a manner that optimises the experience for all concerned. Clarity is needed in relation to resources, governance, roles and responsibilities to support an effective implementation process.
User requirements for an ICT-based system to provide care, support and information access for older people in the community
- Authors:
- BROWNSELL Simon, BLACKBURN Steven, HAWLEY Mark
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 6(1), 2012, pp.5-23.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are increasingly being considered as a means to deliver community-based health and care services. Ensuring that healthcare technology meets specific needs and adds clinical value is vital. This paper reports on the process used to identify the user requirements for an ICT based system, known as Virtex, which aims to deliver care, support and information services to older people in the community. The process involved an iterative and user-centred methodology involving a large group of potential users. This mixed methods approach incorporated workshops, systematic literature reviews, surveys, and focus groups to gather user needs prior to a prototype being developed. This was then tested with users, and their feedback was used in further iterations of the product. In total, 5 main user requirement themes were identified: information access; communication; self-care; accessibility; and personalisation of services. The value of utilising a range of requirements gathering tools and prototyping is discussed. Work is continuing to develop and evaluate the produce with the involvement of users.
Fall detectors: do they work or reduce the fear of falling?
- Authors:
- BROWNSELL S, HAWLEY M.
- Journal article citation:
- Housing Care and Support, 7(1), February 2004, pp.18-24.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This study sought to discover the views of users and providers on fall detectors and to quantify the impact fall detectors have on the fear of falling. Five focus groups comprising of a total of 34 older people from Age Concern day centres, residents from a sheltered housing scheme and representatives form older people's forums in South Yorkshire were conducted. Six groups were also held with service providers, where 25 people were consulted. The study also included a trial of an automatic fall detector, conducted with 55 users aged 60 or over how had fallen in the previous six months or users over the age of 75. The results of the study suggest that fall-monitoring equipment is not considered routinely as part of a care package, and knowledge of devices is poor. A trial of automatic fall detectors provided indicated that they may reduce fear of falling for certain users and so should be considered in falls management, but more evidence and understanding are required to appreciate both the benefits and shortfalls of providing equipment of this sort.
Assistive technology and older people: listening to their view
- Authors:
- TINKER Anthea, MCCREADIE Claudine, TURNER-SMITH Alan
- Journal article citation:
- Housing Care and Support, 6(2), June 2003, pp.27-30.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Briefly reports on three pieces of research funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) which have attempted to draw on the views of older people about assistive technology and its role in staying at home policies.
Shower success
- Author:
- MCCREADIE Claudine
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 7(2), June 2003, pp.25-29.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Adaptations can make a huge difference to older people's decisions about remaining at home. Summarises the findings of research carried out at the Institute of Gerontology, Kings College London which looked at how different items help manage everyday tasks of life. The article focuses on older people's views of baths and showers.
Older people and mobility in the home: in search of useful assistive technologies
- Authors:
- MCCREADIE Claudine, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(2), February 2002, pp.54-60.
- Publisher:
- Sage
A number of assistive technologies exist to help older people with their indoor mobility needs. This article reports on a study that used focus groups and informal trials to explore older people's perspectives on their indoor mobility problems, their ideas on what assistive technologies might resolve these problems and their evaluation of assistive technologies that were developed in response to these ideas. The analysis of the results from the four focus groups led to the development of a stair-climbing aid and a new cataloguing aid. The analysis of the results from the informal trials produced useful feedback on the design of the two products and indicated some limitations to the focus group methodology which could be addressed in future research.
Assistive robots to improve the independent living of older persons: results from a needs study
- Authors:
- FIORINI Laura, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 16(1), 2021, pp.92-102.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Background: More than 70% of elderly people age 80 and older are experiencing problems in personal mobility. Assistive robotics can represent a concrete support providing also a support for caregivers, clinicians and nurses by reducing their burden. Methods: A total of 20 older people and 34 caregivers (formal and informal) were interviewed in Italy and the Netherlands to investigate and prioritize their needs concerning the personal mobility domains and their attitudes towards assistive robots. The data were analysed from a user point of view by means of thematic content analysis by underlying recurrent topics. Results: The results revealed four categories of needs from the perspective of the older individuals: instrumental needs, rehabilitation needs, personal safety and indoor activities of daily life. Additionally, the results underline how personal mobility issues influence different aspects of daily life. Complementarily, three categories of caregiver needs were also distinguished: instrumental needs, rehabilitation monitoring needs and checkup needs. The highest percentage of participants showed a positive expectation towards assistive robotics. Conclusions: The results were clustered according to the robot abilities (i.e., motion, interaction, manipulation, decision support and perception abilities) as a list of functional and technical requirements that should be developed to address all the needs related to the personal mobility. Robotic developer teams that work in this context could take advantage of this research. Additionally, this work can be used as a basis for clinicians and nurses working in geriatric units to understand how the robots can support and enhance their work. (Edited publisher abstract)
Elderly and care personnel’s user experiences of a robotic shower
- Authors:
- BACCMAN Charlotte, BERGKVIST Linda, KRISTENSSON Per
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Enabling Technologies, 14(1), 2020, pp.1-13.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The purpose of this study is to explore the expectations and experiences regarding a robotic shower, from a dual user perspective.Design/methodology/approach: This was an explorative qualitative study in which elderly and personnel were interviewed before the robotic shower was installed and again after four or five months of usage.Findings: The elderly participants found the robotic shower empowering. The personnel’s experiences encompassed their own work conditions, as well as the user value for the elderly. A shared experience for both user groups was a more independent shower situation for the elderly. Research limitations/implications: Low user frequency among the elderly may have affected the results; more frequent use may lead to different user experiences. Understanding whether and to what extent long-term use affects user experience is important for future adoption and implementation. Practical implications: Implementation of digital assistive technology (DAT) should focus on the user value of the DAT for all possible user groups, as the different users may experience different values over time. In addition, approaching adoption and acceptance issues of DAT from a learned helplessness perspective may help users find value in the DAT and the independence these aim to provide, helping users maintain or increase quality of life. Originality/value: This study presents a dual user experience of a DAT in an intimate care situation and shows the importance of including both elderly and personnel to fully understand the value of DATs. (Publisher abstract)