Inclusion of Older Adults in the Research and Design of Digital Technology

Digital technology holds a promise to improve older adults’ well-being and promote ageing in place. However, there seems to be a discrepancy between digital technologies that are developed and what older adults actually want and need. Ageing is stereotypically framed as a problem needed to be fixed, and older adults are considered to be frail and incompetent. Not surprisingly, many of the technologies developed for the use of older adults focus on care. The exclusion of older adults from the research and design of digital technology is often based on such negative stereotypes. In this opinion article, we argue that the inclusion rather than exclusion of older adults in the design process and research of digital technology is essential if technology is to fulfill the promise of improving well-being. We emphasize why this is important while also providing guidelines, evidence from the literature, and examples on how to do so. We unequivocally state that designers and researchers should make every effort to ensure the involvement of older adults in the design process and research of digital technology. Based on this paper, we suggest that ageism in the design process of digital technology might play a role as a possible barrier of adopting technology.

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Participatory Design of an Activities-Based Collective Mentoring Program in After-School Care Settings: Connect, Promote, and Protect Program (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.22822 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alyssa C Milton ◽

Elizabeth Stewart ◽

Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽

Tracey Davenport ◽

Ian B Hickie

Keyword(s):

Design Process ◽

Participatory Design ◽

Local Community ◽

Well Being ◽

Research Literature ◽

After School ◽

Acceptance Testing ◽

Mentoring Program ◽

Community Needs ◽

Research And Design

BACKGROUND Out of school hours care (OSHC) services provide a unique opportunity to deliver early intervention programs to enhance primary school–aged children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being; however, such programs are currently lacking. OBJECTIVE This study aims to address the lack of well-being programs for children accessing OSHC services in the research literature by using participatory design (PD) to collaboratively develop and test an OSHC well-being program—the connect, promote, and protect program (CP3). METHODS The study employed methods of PD, user (acceptance) testing, and iterative knowledge translation to develop a novel well-being program framework—CP3—with key stakeholders (eg, children, OSHC staff, volunteers, families, clinicians, educators, and researchers). Thematic techniques were used to interpret and translate the qualitative information obtained during the research and design cycles. RESULTS The co-design process generated the CP3 model, which comprises a group-based mentoring approach to facilitate enhanced activities in OSHC settings. Activities are underpinned by 4 key principles of program delivery: build well-being and resilience, broaden horizons, inspire and engage, and connect communities. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, the CP3 program is the first co-designed well-being program developed specifically for OSHC services. This co-design process is key to ensuring local community needs—particularly those of young people accessing OSHC—are met and that these individuals are meaningfully and actively involved in all stages of the research and design process, from conception to implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement. CLINICALTRIAL

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How can technology support ageing in place in healthy older adults? A systematic review

Public Health Reviews ◽

10.1186/s40985-020-00143-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Aline Ollevier ◽

Gabriel Aguiar ◽

Marco Palomino ◽

Ingeborg Sylvia Simpelaere

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Narrative Analysis ◽

Final Analysis ◽

Cochrane Collaboration ◽

Well Being ◽

Added Value ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Ageing In Place ◽

Healthy Older Adults

Abstract Background Ageing in place has recently gained visibility in healthcare policies and services. Technology has the potential to facilitate independence at home. The objective of this systematic review is to identify technologies that have been rigorously evaluated for supporting the ageing in place of healthy older adults. As well we explored the methods in engagement with technology in healthy older adults. Methods Databases Pubmed, Scopus, PsycInfo and Cinahl were consulted for clinical controlled trials or randomised controlled trials between 2014 and 2019. Studies were included if they contained a technological intervention and focussed on supporting healthy older adults’ independent living. PRISMA guidelines and the risk of bias tool of the Cochrane Collaboration were applied. Results The search identified 3662 articles of which only 7 made the final analysis. Through narrative analysis, technologies were categorised into three groups: accessible communication, emergency assistance and physical and mental well-being. Patient-centredness was extensively addressed by exploring how the participants engaged in the development and evaluation of the technology and how they were trained and monitored. Conclusions Literature concerning technology to support ageing, based on controlled trials and research performed in authentic home situations, is scarce. Thus, there is a need to investigate the subject in depth. The use of a neurofeedback headband, an accessible computer system, a wristband with pedometer, a biofeedback device and an online video platform can bring added value to ageing in place for healthy older adults. A patient-centred approach for developing, implementing and evaluating technology benefits ageing in place.

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

10.2196/preprints.11694 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jacob A Andrews ◽

Laura JE Brown ◽

Mark S Hawley ◽

Arlene J Astell

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Digital Technologies ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental States ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Good Mental Health ◽

Template Analysis ◽

Barriers To Use ◽

The Impact

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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Promoting Hope in Older Adults

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199399314.013.13 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Amber M. Gum

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Negative Stereotypes ◽

Environmental Interventions ◽

Physical Environments ◽

Physical Barriers ◽

Preliminary Research ◽

Goal Pursuits

As evidenced by 15 years of research, hopeful older adults reject negative stereotypes of aging; envision themselves as aging successfully; plan for later life; cope with stressors; apply wisdom; and perceive good physical, mental, and social well-being. Hopeful older adults even live longer than less hopeful older adults. Preliminary research indicates that older adults participating in individual- and small-group interventions can learn and apply strategies to improve hope, goal pursuits, and distress. The larger social and physical environments create barriers to pursuing goals in later life, including ageism and physical barriers. Thus broader social and environmental interventions may provide additional pathways to foster older adults’ hope and goal pursuits, as well as to help younger generations develop more positive views of aging and prepare for successful aging.

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Hoping for the Best or Planning for the Future: Decision Making and Future Care Needs

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464815591213 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (8) ◽

pp. 953-970 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Odette N. Gould ◽

Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard ◽

Lita Villalon ◽

Majella Simard ◽

Sophie Ethier

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Decision Making ◽

Well Being ◽

Proactive Coping ◽

Care Needs ◽

The Future ◽

Future Care ◽

Thinking Processes ◽

Living Circumstances ◽

Do So

Research has shown that relatively few older adults make plans for future care needs. In this study, we explore the thinking processes involved in planning or failing to plan for the future. Interviews were carried out with 39 older adults ( M age = 81 years) who were experiencing disability and illness but who lived in their own home. Guiding questions for the interview focused on present living circumstances, but for the present qualitative analysis, all references to the future, and to future residence changes, were extracted. This approach allowed us to observe how older adults spontaneously address issues of future planning when not constrained to do so. Results supported the use of a positivity bias, as well as a risk-aversive decision-making style. These older adults seemed to be prioritizing present emotional well-being by avoiding thoughts of future risks and thereby eschewing proactive coping.

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Older age is associated with more positive reframing of memories from the spring phase of the covid-19 pandemic

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3490 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 954-954

Author(s):

Sandry Garcia ◽

Jaclyn Ford ◽

Eric Fields ◽

Tony Cunningham ◽

Elizabeth Kensinger

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Specific Effect ◽

Well Being ◽

Older Age ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Negative Stereotypes ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Positive Reframing ◽

The Moment ◽

Positive Focus

Abstract Older adults often focus on positive aspects of past events, showing resiliency that runs counter to negative stereotypes of aging. We asked whether older adults would retain this positive focus even during the COVID-19 pandemic that puts older adults at particular health risk. We examined how age would relate to the experience of affect during the spring phase of the pandemic and also how it would affect their memories of that spring phase. We predicted that when reflecting on the spring phase of the pandemic, older age would be associated with an increased tendency to focus on “silver linings” and a decreased focus on negative aspects. Furthermore, we explored whether focusing on those “silver linings” would be driven by (i) more positive experienced affect during the spring-phase, or (ii) by a memory-specific effect that would persist after controlling for experienced affect. As predicted, older age was associated with increased focus on “silver linings” such as feelings of hope that the measures would reduce disease spread (p <.001) or memories of the community coming together (p <.001). These effects remained even when controlling for older adults’ more-positive affect during the spring phase of the pandemic (community coming together, p=.03, and feeling hope, p=.008). These results suggest that older adults remain resilient during the ongoing pandemic. Compared to younger adults, older adults experience greater affective well-being in the moment and also benefit from a memory-specific mechanism allowing them to view the ongoing negative event through a rosier lens.

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Participatory Design of an Activities-Based Collective Mentoring Program in After-School Care Settings: Connect, Promote, and Protect Program

JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting ◽

10.2196/22822 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. e22822

Author(s):

Alyssa C Milton ◽

Elizabeth Stewart ◽

Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽

Tracey Davenport ◽

Ian B Hickie

Keyword(s):

Design Process ◽

Participatory Design ◽

Local Community ◽

Well Being ◽

Research Literature ◽

After School ◽

Acceptance Testing ◽

Mentoring Program ◽

Community Needs ◽

Research And Design

Background Out of school hours care (OSHC) services provide a unique opportunity to deliver early intervention programs to enhance primary school–aged children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being; however, such programs are currently lacking. Objective This study aims to address the lack of well-being programs for children accessing OSHC services in the research literature by using participatory design (PD) to collaboratively develop and test an OSHC well-being program—the connect, promote, and protect program (CP3). Methods The study employed methods of PD, user (acceptance) testing, and iterative knowledge translation to develop a novel well-being program framework—CP3—with key stakeholders (eg, children, OSHC staff, volunteers, families, clinicians, educators, and researchers). Thematic techniques were used to interpret and translate the qualitative information obtained during the research and design cycles. Results The co-design process generated the CP3 model, which comprises a group-based mentoring approach to facilitate enhanced activities in OSHC settings. Activities are underpinned by 4 key principles of program delivery: build well-being and resilience, broaden horizons, inspire and engage, and connect communities. Conclusions To our knowledge, the CP3 program is the first co-designed well-being program developed specifically for OSHC services. This co-design process is key to ensuring local community needs—particularly those of young people accessing OSHC—are met and that these individuals are meaningfully and actively involved in all stages of the research and design process, from conception to implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

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The Oxford Handbook of Digital Technologies and Mental Health

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190218058.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Digital Technology ◽

Technology Use ◽

Digital Technologies ◽

Well Being ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact

This book provides an academically oriented and scientifically based description of how technological advances may have contributed to a wide range of mental health outcomes, covering the spectrum from problems and maladies to improved and expanded healthcare services. Digital technologies covered include internet use (including social networking, shopping, gambling, viewing of pornography, etc.), digital gaming, smartphones, mobile applications, virtual reality, and computer-based therapeutic interventions. Both the positive and negative aspects of these various types of digital technologies are discussed. Further, some chapters include a discussion of future developments in the field. The book has been written by international experts in the applications of digital technology across many countries and quality universities. This book consists of eight sections. The first focuses on digital technology in the general population. The second covers problematic conceptual issues in the impact of technology use. The third discusses potential positive impacts of digital technology. The fourth covers potential negative impacts of digital technologies. The fifth evaluates utilizing digital technologies for assessment and legal considerations. The sixth explores using digital technologies to improve overall well-being. The seventh discusses the use of digital technologies to treat specific disorders, and the eighth presents a discussion on treatments of problematic technology use. The book concludes with a brief summary as well as a discussion of future directions for digital technologies.

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Iridescent Life Course: LGBTQ Aging Research and Blueprint for the Future – A Systematic Review

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000493559 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 65 (3) ◽

pp. 253-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Karen I. Fredriksen Goldsen ◽

Sarah Jen ◽

Anna Muraco

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Identity Development ◽

Life Course ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Social Dimensions ◽

Negative Stereotypes ◽

Life Course Framework ◽

The Life Course ◽

Over Time

Background: LGBTQ* (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer) older adults are demographically diverse and growing populations. In an earlier 25-year review of the literature on sexual orientation and aging, we identified four waves of research that addressed dispelling negative stereotypes, psychosocial adjustment to aging, identity development, and social and community-based support in the lives of LGBTQ older adults. Objectives: The current review was designed to develop an evidence base for the field of LGBTQ aging as well as to assess the strengths and limitations of the existing research and to articulate a blueprint for future research. Methods: Using a life course framework, we applied a systematic narrative analysis of research on LGBTQ aging. The review included 66 empirical peer-reviewed journal articles (2009–2016) focusing on LGBTQ adults aged 50 years and older, as well as age-based comparisons (50 years and older with those younger). Results: A recent wave of research on the health and well-being of LGBTQ older adults was identified. Since the prior review, the field has grown rapidly. Several findings were salient, including the increased application of theory (with critical theories most often used) and more varied research designs and methods. While existing life course theory provided a structure for the investigation of the social dimensions of LGBTQ aging, it was limited in its attention to intersectionality and the psychological, behavioral, and biological work emerging in the field. There were few studies addressing the oldest in these communities, bisexuals, gender non-binary older adults, intersex, older adults of color, and those living in poverty. Conclusions: The Iridescent Life Course framework highlights the interplay of light and environment, creating dynamic and fluid colors as perceived from different angles and perspectives over time. Such an approach incorporates both queering and trans-forming the life course, capturing intersectionality, fluidity over time, and the psychological, behavioral, and biological as well as social dimensions of LGBTQ aging. Work is needed that investigates trauma, differing configurations of risks and resources over the life course, inequities and opportunities in representation and capital as LGBTQ adults age, and greater attention to subgroups that remain largely invisible in existing research. More depth than breadth is imperative for the field, and multilevel, longitudinal, and global initiatives are needed.

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Positive Ageing: to What Extent can Current Models of Wellbeing Categorise the Life Events Perceived as Positive by Older Adults?

International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology ◽

10.1007/s41042-020-00028-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 99-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alison Killen ◽

Ann Macaskill

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Events ◽

Personal Growth ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Hedonic Model ◽

Negative Stereotypes ◽

Positive Life Events ◽

Positive Ageing ◽

Older Populations

Abstract Life expectancy is increasing globally, which makes understanding what contributes to well-being in older adults crucial for social and economic reasons. This is the first study to categorize positive life events in community dwelling older adults, to explore their fit with psychological well-being models. Volunteers self-defined as well (N = 88), completed diaries identifying three positive events daily for 14 days. Diary entries combated negative stereotypes of ageing by describing older adults with active lives contributing to society. Of nine themes identified through thematic analysis of over 3500 events; seven supported existing well-being models, being activities delivering positive affect and life satisfaction (hedonic model) and demonstrating competence, autonomy, relatedness, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and personal growth (eudemonic models). However, two well-supported new dimensions were also identified within the themes ‘interaction with the physical environment’ and ‘personal well-being’. These new dimensions were labelled ‘life-affirmation and ‘mindfulness’. This suggests the existence of additional considerations related to well-being specifically for older populations, which may indicate a need to broaden the existing models.

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