Keeping connected in care : development of technology to stimulate social interaction among older people in care facilities

Abstract

Care settings for older people, such as nursing homes, can have low levels of social engagement. Social interaction has been shown in many studies as being crucial to both the mental and physical well-being of older adults. Furthermore, increased social interaction has been shown to have a positive effect on adjustment in institutions for the aged. Technology can potentially provide an outlet for older people, allowing them to contact friends and family as well as use online resources to perform activities they previously undertook but no longer can, due to impairment or geographic separation. However, previous studies designing this sort of technology have focused on older people who are not in receipt of care or are quite cognitively impaired, rather than individuals who are in care settings and require some level of care on a daily basis, but are not significantly cognitively impaired. The needs of these latter individuals may be quite different to those who do not need care at all.