Abstract
Large numbers of individuals, many of them senior citizens, live in social isolation. This typically leads to loneliness, depression, and vulnerability, and subsequently to other negative health consequences. We report on research focused on understanding the communication needs of people in environments associated with social isolation and loneliness, and how technology facilitates social connection. Our work consists of successive iterations of field studies and technology prototype design, deployment, and analysis. Particular attention is paid to seniors in retirement communities and in long-term care settings (nursing homes). We present design implications for technology to enable seniors' social connections, the "InTouch" prototype that satisfies most of the implications, and a report on one older adult's experience of InTouch.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | ASSETS14 - Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility |
Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) |
Pages | 27-34 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781450327206 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 20 Oct 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | ACM SIGACCESS International Conference on Computers and Accessibility 2014 - Rochester, United States of America Duration: 20 Oct 2014 → 22 Oct 2014 Conference number: 16th |
Publication series
Name | ASSETS14 - Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility |
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Conference
Conference | ACM SIGACCESS International Conference on Computers and Accessibility 2014 |
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Abbreviated title | ASSETS 2014 |
Country/Territory | United States of America |
City | Rochester |
Period | 20/10/14 → 22/10/14 |
Keywords
- Chronic pain
- Communications technology
- Field studies
- Loneliness
- Long-term care
- Prototypes
- Seniors
- Social isolation