Applying Values-Led Communication Design to Engage Stakeholders in Developing Dementia-Friendly Visitor Destinations

Developing dementia-friendly visitor destinations (DFVDs) has been acknowledged as essential for maintaining quality of life for people with dementia (PwD) and carers. While research has identified the lack of sufficient information as one of the major barriers in DFVD development, this study argues that the underlying problem comes from poor communication promoting this social vision. Values have a significant impact on stakeholders’ communication. By working with values, the stakeholders may uncover latent issues through an authentic dialog, helping them shape meaningful design directions and find ways of working together. Accordingly, this study proposes a 3 × 3 matrix of values-led communication design and presents an action research. The results suggest that the vertical axis, negotiation for values, can act as agonistic space for stakeholders to uncover values and make appropriate decisions. The horizontal axis is constituted by a systematic communication process of design for value proposition, design for value-in-context, and design for value constellation to facilitate stakeholders in integrating their core competences and construct the value creation system for DFVD development. Through these two axes of values-led communication design, the stakeholders can transfer their knowledge and assets into new social practice, usage, and dissemination, thereby increasing societies’ ability to act.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF NETWORKS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISOLATION, LONELINESS, DEPRESSION, AND ELDER ABUSE

Challenges to aging and risks to physical health and mortality arise when older adults have untreated mental health needs, experiences social isolation, loneliness, or is a victim of elder abuse. This symposium presents three innovative models that harness the power of networks and collaboration between aging services and an academic medical center to meet the needs of ethnically diverse community seniors. These model programs include: embedded mental health services on-site in community senior centers; Friendly Visiting to homebound seniors; and PROTECT intervention to treat elder abuse victims’ mental health needs. Research from these innovative, collaborative programs indicate that over 50% of senior center members screened positive for depression and anxiety (higher than the national average of 3-20%), social isolation, loneliness, and elder abuse. Of the 75% who engage in treatment, 37.3% and 41% showed a 3-month improvement of depression and anxiety, respectively. For seniors who have a friendly visitor, one-third also suffer from depression and/or anxiety. Three months after being visited by a friendly visitor, 42% and 53% see improvement in loneliness and social isolation, respectively. Among victims of elder mistreatment, 33% screened positive for depression or anxiety and 16% reported suicidal ideation. Clients receiving the PROTECT intervention had a greater decrease in depression, felt services were more useful, and reported greater improvement in the abuse. To find and build strength in age, it is essential that programs and policy be developed to support collaboration and provide the opportunities for building and utilizing networks across different domains of aging.

Improving Attitudes Toward Elderly People: Evaluation of an Intervention Program for Adolescents

ABSTRACTIn an experimental evaluation of a “friendly visitor” type of program in which adolescents visited senior citizens, it was found that general attitudes toward elderly people (measured by the Semantic Differential developed by Rosencranz and McNevin) improved following weekly contact with specific elderly persons. One of the weaknesses in research on this type of intervention has been the assumption that the quality of the contact was uniform, and the impact of quality was rarely assessed. In the present study, the perceived quality of the experience was found to have a significant impact on improving attitudes. Programs such as the one evaluated here can, therefore, have two outcomes: the provision of service to elderly individuals and the change of negative attitudes toward elderly people.