Identifying requirements and features for communications systems between older people in care settings
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2010Citation:
Ronan McDonnell and Jane Grimson, Identifying requirements and features for communications systems between older people in care settings, The 23RD IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems (CBMS 2010), Perth, WA, Australia, October 2010, IEEE, 2010Download Item:
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Abstract:
Care settings for older people, such as nursing homes,
can have low levels of social interaction, which 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. However,
these social connections can be lost due to movement
within the care system, with residents regularly relocating
for a variety of reasons including cost and medical issues.
Eleven health professionals and six residents living in a care
home in Ireland were interviewed about their social activities
and levels of engagement within the home. Storyboards
were then developed and presented to the residents based
on these interviews. Findings from the interviews indicate
that activity levels among the more cognitively able residents
are quite low due to activities catering for the less
able residents. Furthermore, a lack of access to information
and resources (such as books and newspapers) means
that these more able residents reported experiencing long
periods of boredom. Technology can potentially allow residents
access to such information and resources, enabling
them to pursue activities in their personal time which can
then also be used as the basis for group discussions. The
use of technology could, in addition, allow those residents
who had moved out of the home to continue to participate
and collaborate in activities with the other residents.
Sponsor
Grant Number
Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/mcdonnrahttp://people.tcd.ie/jgrimson
http://people.tcd.ie/mcdonnra
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Author: McDonnell, Ronan; GRIMSON, JANE BARCLAY
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