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New design for old: function, style and older people
- Author:
- MIDWINTER Eric
- Publisher:
- Centre for Policy on Ageing
- Publication year:
- 1988
- Pagination:
- 65p., tables., illus, bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Results from a workshop discussing a hypothetical day in the life of an older person, and the aids and design that could improve their life.
SCIE research briefing 28: assistive technology and older people
- Authors:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE, BEECH Roger, ROBERTS Diane
- Publisher:
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 11p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The term ‘assistive technology’ incorporates a wide variety of devices. Assistive technology can be supportive, preventive or responsive. The increasing proportion of older people in the population makes the use of assistive technology an attractive option in social services. Perceptions vary as to whether or not assistive technology has sufficient benefits. Existing research supports the greater use of assistive technology but further evaluation and ‘local learning’ is needed. The views and needs of people using assistive technology need to be taken into account.
The promise of assistive technology in institutionalized old age care: economic efficiency, improved working conditions, and better quality of care?
- Authors:
- SIREN Anu, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 16(5), 2021, pp.483-489.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Purpose: Assistive technologies in care work are expected to alleviate the challenges related to population aging, namely the pressure on public budgets and a shortage of care professionals. This study examines how various stakeholders view the potentials of assistive technology in an institutionalized care setting in Denmark. Method: Using ethnographic field observations, interviews, and document analysis, we explore the residents’, the staff’s, and the municipality’s perspectives on the technologies and analyze whether they live up to the stated expectations. Results: We identify three parallel narratives representing each of the stakeholder’s perspectives. The municipality’s triple-win narrative emphasizes expected gains in terms of efficiency, improved working conditions, and better quality of care. The staff’s ambiguity narrative contains both negative views regarding the motive for using technologies to save resources and positive accounts of how technologies have reduced work-related pain. The residents’ limited agency narrative reflects an internalization of the staff’s perspectives. Conclusions: We conclude that, despite both the staff and the municipality highlighting the residents’ well-being and comfort as important outcomes of assistive technologies, the residents’ wishes have limited influence on whether and, if so, how assistive technologies are used. (Edited publisher abstract)
A survey of assistive robots and systems for elderly care
- Authors:
- SANTHANARAJ Karthik Kumar, RAMYA M.M., DINAKARAN D.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Enabling Technologies, 15(1), 2021, pp.66-72.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The rousing phenomenon of the ageing population is becoming a vital issue and demanding fulminant actions. Population ageing is a resultant of the enhanced health-care system, groovy antibiotics, medications and economic well-being. Old age leads to copious amounts of ailments. Aged people, owing to their reduced mobility and enervating disabilities, tend to rely upon caretakers and/or nursing personnel. With the increasing vogue of nuclear families in the society, the elderly are at the risk of being unveiled to emotional, physical and fiscal insecurities in the years to come. Caring for those seniors will be an enormous undertaking. Design/methodology/approach: There is a dire need for an intelligent assistive system to meet out the requirements of continuous holistic care and monitoring. Assistive robots and systems used for elderly care are studied. The design motivation for the robots, elderly–robot interaction capabilities and technology incorporated in the systems are examined meticulously. Findings: From the survey, it is suggested that the subsystems of an assistive robot revamped for better human–machine interactions will be a potential alternative to the human counterpart. Affirmable advancements in the robot design and interaction methodologies that would increase the holistic care and assistance for aged people are analyzed and listed. Originality/value: This paper reviews the available assistive technologies and suggests a synergistic model that can be adopted for the caring of the elderly. (Edited publisher abstract)
Effectiveness of virtual reality technology on functional mobility of older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis
- Authors:
- CORREGIDOR-SANCHEZ Ana Isabel, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 50(2), 2021, pp.370-379.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: The accessibility, versatility and motivation provided by virtual reality technology (VRT) have fostered its rapid expansion as a rehabilitation technique to improve functional mobility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes using VRT, specific virtual reality technology (VRT-S) and non-specific virtual reality technology (VRT-NS), to improve functional mobility in individuals aged >60 years versus conventional treatment (CT) or no intervention. Methods: Nine databases (Cochrane Library, Scopus, PEDro, Medline, CSIC, Web of Science, OT Seeker, NGCH and CINAHL) were searched to identify randomised trials up to December 2019. Results of clinical trials that used VRT-S and VRT-NS in rehabilitation were combined, using a random effects model with inverse variance weighting of the studies. GRADE was used to assess the quality of evidence. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42019131630. Overall, there was moderate quality of evidence for the functional mobility results, which means that the estimate of effect is likely to change. Results: Sixteen of the 18 studies selected (n = 568) provided data for the subgroup meta-analysis. VRT-NS was more effective in improving functional mobility than no intervention [standardised mean difference (SMD) = –1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) −1,91 to −0,14). VRT-NS was also more effective than CT in improving resistance in ambulation (SMD = −1.20; 95% CI –1.93 to 0.46). No significant differences were found between VRT-S and CT or no intervention. Programmes in which >18 sessions were applied were more beneficial (SMD = −0.89; 95% CI –1.71 to –0.08; <0.001) than programmes with ≤18 sessions (SMD = 0.04; 95% CI –0.51 to 0.59) versus no intervention. Conclusions: Our results suggest that VRT is an effective intervention for improving functional mobility in older persons compared with CT. VRT-NS proved to be more effective than VRT-S. However, these results are still not conclusive due to the low methodological quality of the studies. Thus, new studies and analyses are required. (Edited publisher abstract)
Assistive technologies in reducing caregiver burden among informal caregivers of older adults: a systematic review
- Author:
- MARASINGHE Keshini Madara
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 11(5), 2016, pp.353-360.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Aim: The world population is rapidly ageing. As population age, the incidence of functional limitations increases, demanding higher levels of care from caregivers. Assistive technologies improve individuals’ functioning, independence, well-being and quality of life. By increasing independence of older adults, assistive technologies decrease workloads required from informal caregivers. This review investigates, evaluates, and synthesises existing findings to examine whether and how assistive technologies reduce caregiver burden. Methods: Databases searched included MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. Three groups of keywords were combined: those relating to assistive technology, caregiver burden, and older adults. Results: Two theories emerged from the analysis of study results. Caregivers reported that assistive technologies decrease caregiver burden. However, caregivers had concerns that assistive technologies could add to caregiver burden, highlighting the limitations of assistive technology. Conclusions: As suggested by a majority of the studies in this review, assistive technologies contribute to reducing caregiver burden among caregivers of older adults. Assistive technologies assisted caregivers by reducing time, levels of assistance and energy put towards caregiving, anxiety and fear, task difficulty, safety risk particularly for activities requiring physical assistance and increasing the independence of the users. Further research is required to better understand limitations of assistive technologies. (Publisher abstract)
Care robots for the supermarket shelf: a product gap in assistive technologies
- Author:
- BLACKMAN Tim
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 33(5), 2013, pp.763-781.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The literature on the development of assistive robots is dominated by technological papers with little consideration of how such devices might be commercialised for a mass market at a price that is affordable for older people and their families as well as public services and care insurers. This article argues that the focus of technical development in this field is too ambitious, neglecting the potential market for an affordable device that is aleady in the realm of the ‘adjacent possible’ given current technology capabilities. It also questions on both ethical and marketing grounds the current effort to develop assistive robots with pet-like or human-like features. The marketing literature on ‘really new products’ has so far not appeared to inform the development of assistive robots but has some important lessons. These include using analogies with existing products and giving particular attention to the role of early adopters. Relevant analogies for care robots are not animals or humans but useful domestic appliances and personal technologies with attractive designs, engaging functionality and intuitive usability. This points to a strategy for enabling mass adoption – which has so far eluded even conventional telecare – of emphasising how such an appliance is part of older people's contemporary lifestyles rather than a sign of age-related decline and loss of independence. (Publisher abstract)
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)
Reminders that make sense: designing multisensory notifications for the home
- Author:
- MCGEE-LENNON Marilyn R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 6(2), 2012, pp.93-104.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
It is likely that technology will play a significant role in supporting people in their homes as they get older. The purpose of this paper is to present a synthesised overview of a project which is developing multimodal configurable reminder systems for the home. The aim of the MultiMemoHome Project is to understand more fully the different multimodal solutions available and to understand how effective and appropriate these methods are with real users in the home context. The paper presents an overview of multimodal interaction techniques and how they can be used to deliver messages to the user in a way that is more appropriate to the user's needs, the devices available, and the physical and social environment that the person is in when they receive a message. The paper argues that electronic reminders or notifications delivered in the home (such as appointments or when to take medication to your phone, computer or TV) should be available in multiple sensory modalities (visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory) in order to increase their usability and acceptability and make them accessible to a wider range of users. A set of guidelines and lessons learned on how to design usable and acceptable multimodal reminder systems for the home are presented.
Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2011-12: presented to Parliament pursuant to section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 138p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 requires a report to be laid before Parliament each year describing the research activity the government has funded to improve equipment for disabled and older people. This annual report describes the wide range of government funded projects supporting the development, introduction and evaluation of assistive technology that might increase the range of activities and independence or well-being of disabled and older people. The report aims to reflect research and development activity in relation to a wide range of impairments and health conditions and also to reflect the range of government funding programmes across health, social care, education, housing and employment. All the research into assistive technology included in the report is being funded by the UK government or by the European Union with participation from a UK organisation. During the period April 2011-March 2012, the Foundation for Assistive Technology (FAST) recorded 228 projects carrying out research and development activity in assistive technology, of which 82 concluded during the year. A complete listing of assistive technology research and development activity is included as an annex.