Toward a psychological science of advanced technology design for older adults

[ADAS and automation-a relevant contribution to maintaining mobility of older drivers?]

Driving is the most important and safest form of mobility for the majority of senior citizens. However, physical and mental performance gradually decline with age, which can lead to more problems, critical situations or even accidents. Vehicle technology innovations such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have the potential to increase the road safety of older people and maintain their individual mobility for as long as possible.This overview article aims to identify ADAS that have the greatest potential to reduce the number of accidents involving older drivers. For this purpose, the accident and damage occurrence as well as the driving behaviour and compensation strategies of older people are examined in more detail. Suitable ADAS should compensate for typical driver errors, reduce information deficiencies and have a high level of acceptance. For older drivers, emergency braking, parking assistance, navigation, intersection assistance and distance speed control systems as well as systems for detecting blind spots and obstacles appear to be particularly suitable.Some of the disadvantages of ADAS are the lack of market penetration, acceptance problems and interface designs that have not yet been optimally adapted to the needs of older users. For older drivers in particular, it appears to be a priority to develop coherent and integrated solutions in the sense of cooperative assistance instead of pushing ahead with high and full automation with many system limits and exceptions, which can place high demands on attention, for example if the vehicle has to be taken over in a critical situation.

Digital interventions for healthy ageing and cognitive health in older adults: a systematic review of mixed method studies and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Currently, there is no systematic review to investigate the effectiveness of digital interventions for healthy ageing and cognitive health of older adults. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of digital intervention studies for facilitating healthy ageing and cognitive health and further identify the considerations of its application to older adults.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis of literature were conducted across CINAHL, Medline, ProQuest, Cochrane, Scopus, and PubMed databases following the PRISMA guideline. All included studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Checklist by independent reviewers. Meta-analyses were performed using JBI SUMARI software to compare quantitative studies. Thematic analyses were used for qualitative studies and synthesised into the emerging themes.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies were included. Quantitative results showed no statistically significant pooled effect between health knowledge and healthy behaviour (I2 =76, p=0.436, 95% CI [-0.32,0.74]), and between cardiovascular-related health risks and care dependency I2=0, p=0.426, 95% CI [0.90,1.29]). However, a statistically significant cognitive function preservation was found in older adults who had long-term use of laptop/cellphone devices and had engaged in the computer-based physical activity program (I2=0, p<0.001, 95% CI [0.01, 0.21]). Qualitative themes for the considerations of digital application to older adults were digital engagement, communication, independence, human connection, privacy, and cost.

CONCLUSIONS

Digital interventions used in older adults to facilitate healthy ageing were not always effective. Health knowledge improvement does not necessarily result in health risk reduction in that knowledge translation is key. Factors influencing knowledge translation (i.e., digital engagement, human coaching etc) were identified to determine the intervention effects. However, using digital devices appeared beneficial to maintain older adults' cognitive functions in the longer term. Therefore, the review findings suggest that the expanded meaning of a person-centred concept (i.e., from social, environmental, and healthcare system aspects) should be pursued in future practice. Privacy and cost concerns of technologies need ongoing scrutiny from policy bodies. Future research looking into the respective health benefits can provide more understanding of the current digital intervention applied to older adults.

STUDY REGISTRATION

PROSPERO record ID: CRD42023400707 https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=400707 .

Robots for surgeons? Surgeons for robots? Exploring the acceptance of robotic surgery in the light of attitudes and trust in robots

BACKGROUND

Over the last century, technological progress has been tremendous, and technological advancement is reflected in the development of medicine. This research assessed attitudes towards surgical robots and identified correlations with willingness to participate in robotic surgery based on factors influencing trust in automated systems.

METHOD

Using data from a survey, which included the Multi-dimensional Robot Attitude Scale (MdRAS) and a questionnaire consisting of attitude statements regarding the factors affecting trust in automated systems, the experiment assessed the attitudes of healthcare workers and potential patients towards surgery robots, and attempted to find a correlation between these attitudes, age, and gender.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Statistical evaluation of the responses (N = 197) showed that positive attitude towards surgical robots showed a high correlation with the willingness to participate in robotic surgery and gave the strongest correlations with the MdRAS utility and negative attitude towards robots subscales. For the assessment of willingness, the MdRAS subscales alone did not provide a strong enough correlation. All factors examined showed a significant correlation with participation. Having faith in the surgery robot, the propensity to trust technology, the designer's reputation, the ease of work that a surgical robot provides, positive experience with robots, and believing the surgeon is competent at operating the machine seemed to have been the most important positive correlations, while fear of errors gave the highest negative correlation. The healthcare workers and potential patients showed significant differences in the subscales of the questionnaire perceived risk and knowledge but no significant difference in the characteristics of the surgical robot. There was no difference in willingness to participate between the samples. Age did not show a significant correlation with the score achieved and willingness in any of the samples. Significant differences were found between male and female respondents, with men having more positive attitudes and being more likely to participate in surgeries using surgery robots than women. As a result, the research potentially sheds light on the factors that need to be considered when building trust in robotic surgery.

Development of an electronic medical records project for Al-Razi hospital in Palestine

Background

Electronic medical records (EMR) are considered an important aspect to improve medical services provided to patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the development of an Electronic Medical Records Project for Al-Razi hospital in Palestine.

Design and Methods

The study was mixed method, qualitative and quantitative. The use of a questionnaire for the staff in the Al-Razi hospital and seven administrators' participants were meat as focus group.

Results

Approximately 136 participants in the study. The study findings reported that employees perceived the use of EMRs to have several benefits. The most common benefits include promoting patient safety culture and drug error reduction. In addition, the study findings reported that employees perceived the use of EMRs to have several challenges. The most common challenges include lack of knowledge and skill, insufficient time to use EMR, and limited of computers.

Conclusions

Health informatics brings various benefits to the healthcare system. Some participants believed that the EMR system would improve patient care and it will improve patient satisfaction.

Factors Influencing the Acceptability, Acceptance, and Adoption of Conversational Agents in Health Care: Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Conversational agents (CAs), also known as chatbots, are digital dialog systems that enable people to have a text-based, speech-based, or nonverbal conversation with a computer or another machine based on natural language via an interface. The use of CAs offers new opportunities and various benefits for health care. However, they are not yet ubiquitous in daily practice. Nevertheless, research regarding the implementation of CAs in health care has grown tremendously in recent years.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to present a synthesis of the factors that facilitate or hinder the implementation of CAs from the perspectives of patients and health care professionals. Specifically, it focuses on the early implementation outcomes of acceptability, acceptance, and adoption as cornerstones of later implementation success.

METHODS

We performed an integrative review. To identify relevant literature, a broad literature search was conducted in June 2021 with no date limits and using all fields in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, LIVIVO, and PsycINFO. To keep the review current, another search was conducted in March 2022. To identify as many eligible primary sources as possible, we used a snowballing approach by searching reference lists and conducted a hand search. Factors influencing the acceptability, acceptance, and adoption of CAs in health care were coded through parallel deductive and inductive approaches, which were informed by current technology acceptance and adoption models. Finally, the factors were synthesized in a thematic map.

RESULTS

Overall, 76 studies were included in this review. We identified influencing factors related to 4 core Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) factors (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and hedonic motivation), with most studies underlining the relevance of performance and effort expectancy. To meet the particularities of the health care context, we redefined the UTAUT2 factors social influence, habit, and price value. We identified 6 other influencing factors: perceived risk, trust, anthropomorphism, health issue, working alliance, and user characteristics. Overall, we identified 10 factors influencing acceptability, acceptance, and adoption among health care professionals (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, social influence, price value, perceived risk, trust, anthropomorphism, working alliance, and user characteristics) and 13 factors influencing acceptability, acceptance, and adoption among patients (additionally hedonic motivation, habit, and health issue).

CONCLUSIONS

This review shows manifold factors influencing the acceptability, acceptance, and adoption of CAs in health care. Knowledge of these factors is fundamental for implementation planning. Therefore, the findings of this review can serve as a basis for future studies to develop appropriate implementation strategies. Furthermore, this review provides an empirical test of current technology acceptance and adoption models and identifies areas where additional research is necessary.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022343690; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=343690.

The role of assistive technology in supporting the engagement of students with visual impairment in learning mathematics: An integrative literature review

This integrative literature review examined how assistive technology (AT) can help students with visual impairment (VI) in middle primary and secondary schools (aged 11–18 years) engage in learning Mathematics. To collate the relevant findings across studies, an integrative literature review approach was employed and supported by an evidence-based synthesis method. Automatic search phrases were used to find research articles related to the topic in the Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and Springer Link databases. A total of 628 articles were identified during the initial search of which only 11 were included after putting them under rigorous selection criteria. In addition, a mixed-method appraisal technique (MMAT) was used to examine the methodological quality of the papers that were included. The synthesis result came up with three overarching themes: the availability of AT to support learning mathematics, the usability of AT in mathematics classes, and the role of AT in the inclusion of visually impaired students. The findings based on the results of the 11 academic articles published from 2007 to 2021 revealed that effective engagement of students with VIs in Mathematics instruction is achieved by providing students with VI equitable access to the swiftly evolving AT, addressing issues related to affordability, testing the usability and appropriateness of existing AT and enhancing accessibility of AT for all by breaking the social stigma against students with VI in using AT. It is concluded that easily affordable and accessible assistive technologies with multiple non-visual display formats that enable students with VI to access mathematical symbols, notations, expressions, and tactual contents should be in place to actively engage students with VI in learning mathematics.

Older adults' experiences using Alexa

The number of adults in the United States age 65 and older is expected to increase to 81 million in 2040 and 95 million in 2060. Voice-activated personal assistants (VAPAs), such as Amazon's Alexa, have the potential to ensure that older adults can successfully age in place using smart home technology to support health, wellness, social engagement, and daily functioning at home. To further explore this potential, twelve home-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older who had used the Amazon Alexa VAPA device for over six months were interviewed to learn about their perceptions and experiences with the use of the device and to gain insights into how this technology has shaped their aging experience. Findings suggest that the older adults did not fully understand the full spectrum of functionality and features of the Alexa device, as they received relatively little initial and ongoing training and support in using it. Participants enjoyed using the Alexa device for selective non-essential features and functions that were more convenient to use on the Alexa device than through alternative methods, but they did not see the use of the Alexa device as essential to their successfully aging in place. CCS CONCEPTS • Accessibility • Ubiquitous and mobile computing • Human-computer interaction.

Human Factors and Ergonomics Considerations for Aging-in-Place Part 2: The Intersection of Environment and Technology

This article is part 2 of a two-part series focused on aging-in-place. Aging-in-place is a term that has been increasingly used over the past 40 years to describe the process of remaining in one’s home. In attempt to advance the discussion on the future of aging-in-place, this feature series provides an overview of the grand challenges to aging-in-place with an emphasis on human factors and ergonomics considerations. Part 2 will discuss a variety of ways to conceptualize “place” and describe the need for integrated technology within the home and beyond.

Human Factors and Ergonomics Considerations for Aging-in-Place Part 1: The Intersection of Users and Tasks

This article is part 1 of a two-part series. The term aging-in-place has been increasingly used over the past 40 years to describe the process of remaining in one’s home. In attempt to advance the discussion on the future of aging-in-place, this feature series provides an overview of the grand challenges to aging-in-place with an emphasis on human factors and ergonomics considerations. Part 1 will discuss a variety of ways to conceptualize “aging,” and describe tasks related to healthy aging into three categories: home maintenance, health management, and socialization.

Recommendations for the Design and Delivery of Transitions-Focused Digital Health Interventions: Rapid Review

Background

Older adults experience a high risk of adverse events during hospital-to-home transitions. Implementation barriers have prevented widespread clinical uptake of the various digital health technologies that aim to support hospital-to-home transitions.

Objective

To guide the development of a digital health intervention to support transitions from hospital to home (the Digital Bridge intervention), the specific objectives of this review were to describe the various roles and functions of health care providers supporting hospital-to-home transitions for older adults, allowing future technologies to be more targeted to support their work; describe the types of digital health interventions used to facilitate the transition from hospital to home for older adults and elucidate how these interventions support the roles and functions of providers; describe the lessons learned from the design and implementation of these interventions; and identify opportunities to improve the fit between technology and provider functions within the Digital Bridge intervention and other transition-focused digital health interventions.

Methods

This 2-phase rapid review involved a selective review of providers’ roles and their functions during hospital-to-home transitions (phase 1) and a structured literature review on digital health interventions used to support older adults’ hospital-to-home transitions (phase 2). During the analysis, the technology functions identified in phase 2 were linked to the provider roles and functions identified in phase 1.

Results

In phase 1, various provider roles were identified that facilitated hospital-to-home transitions, including navigation-specific roles and the roles of nurses and physicians. The key transition functions performed by providers were related to the 3 categories of continuity of care (ie, informational, management, and relational continuity). Phase 2, included articles (n=142) that reported digital health interventions targeting various medical conditions or groups. Most digital health interventions supported management continuity (eg, follow-up, assessment, and monitoring of patients’ status after hospital discharge), whereas informational and relational continuity were the least supported. The lessons learned from the interventions were categorized into technology- and research-related challenges and opportunities and informed several recommendations to guide the design of transition-focused digital health interventions.

Conclusions

This review highlights the need for Digital Bridge and other digital health interventions to align the design and delivery of digital health interventions with provider functions, design and test interventions with older adults, and examine multilevel outcomes.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045596

Technology Learning and the Adoption of Telehealth Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults During the COVID-19 Outbreak

The present study aims to examine changes in the prevalence of telehealth utilization in older adults before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to investigate the relationship between learning a new technology and the adoption of telehealth during the outbreak. The study sample came from the National Health and Aging Trend Study COVID-19 Supplement (N=1769). The adoption of telehealth was assessed for utilization of emails and video calls to communicate with healthcare providers. Logistic regressions were performed to test the study aims. The findings showed that older adults substantially increased the utilization of telehealth during the outbreak. Additionally, learning a new technology is related to the adoption of both emails and video calls to access telehealth. The findings suggest that older adults may be motivated and able to quickly learn a new technology that is required to access telehealth during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Interface Design for Products for Users with Advanced Age and Cognitive Impairment

The aim of this study is to investigate the problems and needs of users with advanced age and cognitive impairment regarding the design and operation of daily living products. Television remote controls and an electric rice cooker were applied as the research tools, and focus group interviews with control older adults and interviews with individuals with MCI or mild dementia were conducted regarding the operation of the products. The control participants stressed that the operating procedures should not be excessively complex, the number of functions and buttons should not be overly high, and buttons and text should be enlarged. For those with MCI or mild dementia, in addition to the size and number of buttons, text size, and functions, their operation of product interfaces was affected by the complexity of the operating procedures. The solutions recommended by the participants included interface design involving direct operation and voice control.

Algorithmic harms and digital ageism in the use of surveillance technologies in nursing homes

Ageism has not been centered in scholarship on AI or algorithmic harms despite the ways in which older adults are both digitally marginalized and positioned as targets for surveillance technology and risk mitigation. In this translation paper, we put gerontology into conversation with scholarship on information and data technologies within critical disability, race, and feminist studies and explore algorithmic harms of surveillance technologies on older adults and care workers within nursing homes in the United States and Canada. We start by identifying the limitations of emerging scholarship and public discourse on "digital ageism" that is occupied with the inclusion and representation of older adults in AI or machine learning at the expense of more pressing questions. Focusing on the investment in these technologies in the context of COVID-19 in nursing homes, we draw from critical scholarship on information and data technologies to deeply understand how ageism is implicated in the systemic harms experienced by residents and workers when surveillance technologies are positioned as solutions. We then suggest generative pathways and point to various possible research agendas that could illuminate emergent algorithmic harms and their animating force within nursing homes. In the tradition of critical gerontology, ours is a project of bringing insights from gerontology and age studies to bear on broader work on automation and algorithmic decision-making systems for marginalized groups, and to bring that work to bear on gerontology. This paper illustrates specific ways in which important insights from critical race, disability and feminist studies helps us draw out the power of ageism as a rhetorical and analytical tool. We demonstrate why such engagement is necessary to realize gerontology's capacity to contribute to timely discourse on algorithmic harms and to elevate the issue of ageism for serious engagement across fields concerned with social and economic justice. We begin with nursing homes because they are an understudied, yet socially significant and timely setting in which to understand algorithmic harms. We hope this will contribute to broader efforts to understand and redress harms across sectors and marginalized collectives.

Effects of Patient-Generated Health Data: Comparison of Two Versions of Long-Term Mobile Personal Health Record Usage Logs

Patient-generated health data (PGHD) can be managed easily by a mobile personal health record (mPHR) and can increase patient engagement. This study investigated the effect of PGHD functions on mPHR usage. We collected usage log data from an mPHR app, My Chart in My Hand (MCMH), for seven years. We analyzed the number of accesses and trends for each menu by age and sex according to the version-up. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis was used to determine the likelihood of continuous app usage according to the menus and version-up. The total number of users of each version were 15,357 and 51,553, respectively. Adult females under 50 years were the most prevalent user group (30.0%). The “My Chart” menu was the most accessed menu, and the total access count increased by ~10 times after the version-up. The “Health Management” menu designed for PGHD showed the largest degree of increase in its likelihood of continuous usage after the version-up (1.245; p < 0.0001) across menus (range: 0.925–1.050). Notably, improvement of PGHD management in adult females over 50 years is needed.

Social Technology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Improving Care for Older Adults

Population aging is a defining demographic reality of our era. It is associated with an increase in the societal burden of delivering care to older adults with chronic conditions or frailty. How to integrate global population aging and technology development to help address the growing demands for care facing many aging societies is both a challenge and an opportunity for innovation. We propose a social technology approach that promotes use of technologies to assist individuals, families, and communities to cope more effectively with the disabilities of older adults who can no longer live independently due to dementia, serious mental illness, and multiple chronic health problems. The main contributions of the social technology approach include: (1) fostering multidisciplinary collaboration among social scientists, engineers, and healthcare experts; (2) including ethical and humanistic standards in creating and evaluating innovations; (3) improving social systems through working with those who deliver, manage, and design older adult care services; (4) promoting social justice through social policy research and innovation, particularly for disadvantaged groups; (5) fostering social integration by creating age-friendly and intergenerational programs; and (6) seeking global benefit by identifying and generalizing best practices. As an emergent, experimental approach, social technology requires systematic evaluation in an iterative process to refine its relevance and uses in different local settings. By linking technological interventions to the social and cultural systems of older people, we aim to help technological advances become an organic part of the complex social world that supports and sustains care delivery to older adults in need.

Mobile health applications for older adults: a systematic review of interface and persuasive feature design

OBJECTIVE

Mobile-based interventions have the potential to promote healthy aging among older adults. However, the adoption and use of mobile health applications are often low due to inappropriate designs. The aim of this systematic review is to identify, synthesize, and report interface and persuasive feature design recommendations of mobile health applications for elderly users to facilitate adoption and improve health-related outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus databases to identify studies that discussed and evaluated elderly-friendly interface and persuasive feature designs of mobile health applications using an elderly cohort.

RESULTS

We included 74 studies in our analysis. Our analysis revealed a total of 9 elderly-friendly interface design recommendations: 3 recommendations were targeted at perceptual capabilities of elderly users, 2 at motor coordination problems, and 4 at cognitive and memory deterioration. We also compiled and reported 5 categories of persuasive features: reminders, social features, game elements, personalized interventions, and health education.

DISCUSSION

Only 5 studies included design elements that were based on theories. Moreover, the majority of the included studies evaluated the application as a whole without examining end-user perceptions and the effectiveness of each single design feature. Finally, most studies had methodological limitations, and better research designs are needed to quantify the effectiveness of the application designs rigorously.

CONCLUSIONS

This review synthesizes elderly-friendly interface and persuasive feature design recommendations for mobile health applications from the existing literature and provides recommendations for future research in this area and guidelines for designers.

Design Considerations for Mobile Health Applications Targeting Older Adults

Mobile technologies are becoming ubiquitous in the world, changing the way we communicate and provide patient care and services. Some of the most compelling benefits of mobile technologies are in the areas of disease prevention, health management, and care delivery. For all the advances that are occurring in mobile health, its full potential for older adults is only starting to emerge. Yet, existing mobile health applications have design flaws that may limit usability by older adults. The aim of this paper is to review barriers and identify knowledge gaps where more research is needed to improve the accessibility of mobile health use in aging populations. The same observations might apply to those who are not elderly, including individuals suffering from severe mental or medical illnesses.

A Scoping Review of the Conceptual Differentiation of Technology for Healthy Aging

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

With the emergence of healthy aging as a key societal issue in recent decades, technology has often been proposed as a solution to the challenges faced by aging societies. From a public health perspective, however, aging-related technologies have been inconsistently conceptualized and ill-defined. By examining how relevant concepts in "technology for aging" have been developed to date, we hope to identify gaps and begin clarifying the topic.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We conducted a scoping review according to PRISMA-ScR, drawing on PubMed and Embase. We selected articles that directly reported concepts of technology for aging, or from which such concepts could be inferred.

RESULTS

We identified 43 articles, most of which were narrative reviews (n = 31). Concepts of technology for aging were presented in diverse ways with some overlap. Most studies provided some terminology (n = 36), but with little conceptual uniformity. Conceptual discourse was often focused on the aging agenda; while technological aspects were poorly defined. A conceptual framework from a public health perspective was derived from 8 articles-it showed that technology strategies do not take a population approach.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

While the potential of "technology for aging" is vast, its real capacity to deliver a desirable life for older people remains underdeveloped. Clearer concepts and realistic goals at population level are lacking. Efficient investment must be made throughout the social system, and technology needs to be integrated via macro-level practices.

Optimizing aging: A call for a new narrative

Decades of research have shown that biological and psychosocial aging are not as predetermined as had been thought for a long time. Yet, despite a large and growing evidence base, most individuals still hold negative views of aging that keep them from optimizing their chances for healthy and productive aging. Given this general background, this article has three major objectives: (a) to show that the 3 big misconceptions at the heart of the public's negative views of aging can be refuted based on scientific evidence; (b) to illustrate that changing individuals' views of aging calls for the development of a new narrative on aging, one that incorporates the increasing diversity of the aging population; and (c) to discuss how psychologists can contribute to creating this new narrative on aging. We argue that growing old(er) in the United States is not the same old business anymore and that psychologists are uniquely positioned to contribute to the social and cultural transformation that population aging and increasing diversity in the U.S. society require. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

What facilitates the acceptance of technology to promote social participation in later life? A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Social participation is an important aspect of health and well-being across the lifespan, but older adults might encounter some barriers, which has been highlighted in the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, where technology has become the primary way to maintain contact with family and friends. In fact, technology can serve both as a facilitator and barrier to social participation in later life, and this issue needs to be further understood.

AIM

To identify the barriers and facilitators encountered by older adults in using technology to promote social participation.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, written in English or French, included participants 50 years or older, included technology to promote social participation, and reported potential barriers or facilitators regarding such technologies. Four databases were included: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO and, ERIC. Each study was reviewed by two independent reviewers. The quality of the study was appraised using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies were included in this report. Four main themes emerged from the data: perceived benefits of the technology, self-confidence and knowledge about using the technology efficiently and safely, affordability of the technology, and ability of the technology to adapt to the physical and cognitive declines in later life.

CONCLUSION

These findings can help health care professionals to make better decisions when deciding to recommend technology for their older clients.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONAcceptance of technology to promote social participation in later life is a multi-complex process. There is no "one size fits all" approach, a person-centered intervention must be used.When introducing new technologies, using an adapted/tailored training approach could potentially increase self-efficacy in using technology.Rehabilitation professionals' misconceptions concerning the use of technology in later life can be a barrier to acceptance. It's important to be aware of our own believes and attitudes in this context.

Human-Automation Trust to Technologies for Naïve Users Amidst and Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND

Trust is a critical factor that influences the success or failure of human-automation interaction in a variety of professional domains such as transportation, military, and healthcare. The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis will likely accelerate the implementation of automation and create unique problems involving human-automation trust for naïve users of automated technologies in the future.

METHOD

We briefly review factors that can influence the development of human-automation trust amidst and following the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on two theories on human-automation trust and how naïve users develop and maintain their trust in unfamiliar technologies.

RESULTS

The current review identifies user workload and perceived risk as critical factors that will impact human-automation trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both theories predict that it is important for naïve users to accumulate and analyze behavioral evidence of automated technologies to maintain appropriate trust levels as the pandemic progresses.

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION

Theories of human-automation trust inform trajectories of trust development toward unfamiliar technologies for naïve users. In application, manufacturers and distributers should focus on communicating system information effectively to retain users who may be "forced" to use unfamiliar technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acceptance of virtual agents in a homecare context: Evaluation of excessive daytime sleepiness in apneic patients during interventions by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) providers

Sleep apnea syndrome treatment relies primarily on continuous positive airway pressure, which requires a homecare follow-up. Excessive daytime sleepiness is a key symptom to be measured during follow-up, and there is a need for more easy-to-administer, ecological and engaging tools to assess it. Virtual agents have shown their effectiveness in performing clinical evaluation in a medical environment. A virtual agent assessing excessive daytime sleepiness via the Epworth Sleepiness Scale has been tested at home by 102 patients treated by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and their homecare providers. Acceptance and trustworthiness of the agent, as well as the influence of demographics and clinical characteristics of patients, were investigated. Results showed that both patients and homecare providers reported a positive attitude towards the virtual agent, which was found to be usable, satisfactory, credible and benevolent. Homecare providers reported that it was not a burden to their working routine. Positive regression coefficients were found between patients' and homecare providers' attitudes towards the virtual agent. We found no influence of patients' demographics and clinical characteristics on their acceptance of the virtual agent. This shows that virtual agents are well accepted by patients and homecare providers, independently of their demographics and clinical characteristics. Positive regression coefficients observed between patients' and homecare providers' perceptions of the agent indicate that the opinions of both influence acceptance of the virtual agent in a homecare context. Virtual agents are new innovative digital solutions to be considered in homecare follow-up of apneic patients treated by CPAP.

Technologically-enhanced psychological interventions for older adults: a scoping review

Background

The world population is getting older. As life expectancy increases, traditional health care systems are facing different challenges in terms of cost reduction and high-quality service delivery capability. New ways to improve older adults’ quality of life have been explored, taking advantage of new technological solutions. Our focus is on the integration of technology in clinical treatments to facilitate or deliver psychological interventions meant to improve well-being in older adults. Our aims were to describe the main technology-based interventions supporting seniors’ quality of life or psychological well-being and to provide greater clarity to what is described in the current literature as their effects on seniors’ cognitive and psychological outcomes and healthcare policies.

Methods

We reviewed the scientific literature looking for studies that investigated how technology can be implemented into clinical psychology treatments for older adults. Our search was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and CINAHL. The search provided 350 articles, mostly (≈90%) dated after 2002. Abstract analysis narrowed the selection to 150 papers, according to their relevance and actuality as judged by a restricted group of independent researchers.

Results

Through a thematic analysis, we found that virtual reality (VR), robots, telemedicine, software, video games, and smartphone applications could potentially support older adults’ psychological treatment with a positive impact on healthcare systems.

Conclusion

Findings from the literature are encouraging, although most of these results are only preliminary.

Technology use and preferences for mental health self-management interventions among older veterans

OBJECTIVES

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs offers numerous technology-delivered interventions to self-manage mental health problems. It is unknown, however, what barriers older military veterans face to using these technologies and how willing they would be to use technologies for mental health concerns.

METHODS

Seventy-seven veterans (M_age = 69.16 years; SD = 7.10) completed interviews in a concurrent mixed methods study. Interviewers asked about technology ownership and described four modalities of delivering self-management interventions: printed materials, DVDs, Internet, and mobile apps. Interviewers obtained feedback about each modality's benefits, barriers, and facilitators. Participants ranked their self-management modalities preferences alone and compared with counseling. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression and qualitative analyses were conducted to investigate the reasons contributing to preferences.

RESULTS

Most reported owning a computer (84.4%), having home Internet (80.5%), and a smartphone (70.1%). Participants preferred printed materials (35.1%) over mobile apps (28.6%), Internet (24.7%), and DVDs (13.0%). Lower computer proficiency was associated with preferring DVDs; higher proficiency was associated with Internet and mobile interventions. Residing in an urban area was associated with mobile apps. When counseling was an option, 66% identified this as their first preference. Qualitative findings showed veterans' desire for information, training, and provider support with technology.

CONCLUSIONS

Older veterans reported high technology ownership rates but varied preferences for self-management interventions. Notably, two-thirds preferred some form of technology, which points to the importance of ensuring that providers offer existing technology-delivered interventions to older veterans. Veterans' strong preference for counseling emphasizes the need for human support alongside self-management.

Mobile Support for Older Adults and Their Caregivers: Dyad Usability Study

Background

Evaluation of digital health applications to support older adults’ independence and family caregiving is needed. Digital health is increasingly providing opportunities for older adults and their family caregivers to educate, engage, and share health information across digital platforms. Few apps have documented evidence of usability by older adults and their caregivers.

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine the usability of a mobile app in a community-based older adult population aged ≥65 years. The app was designed to improve engagement of the patient-informal caregiver team.

Methods

This observational usability study was conducted in participants’ homes and independent living facilities in Baltimore, Maryland. Community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years and their caregivers enrolled as a dyad (n=24, 12 dyads). The usability evaluation was a mobile and Web-based app that allowed older adult users to record social and health information and share this information with their caregivers. The older adult-caregiver dyad downloaded the app to a smart phone or accessed the Web version, participated in training and onboarding, and used the app for a 1-month period. Participants responded to weekly surveys sent by app push notifications and to the usability and satisfaction surveys at the end of the study. Participant satisfaction and usability were assessed using the Modified Mobile Application Rating Scale (M-MARS) and the System Usability Scale (SUS).

Results

The final sample comprised 16 people (8 dyads). Responses to the M-MARS were comparable between older adults and caregiver respondents in terms of engagement and functionality. Caregivers rated aesthetics slightly higher (mean 3.7) than older adult participants did (mean 3.3). Although most responses to the SUS were around the mean (2.3-3.4), older adults and their caregivers differed with regard to integration of app features (mean 3.7 vs 2.8) and the need to learn more before using the app (mean 2.3 vs 3.1).

Conclusions

Technology ownership and use among older adults and caregivers was high. Usability and engagement of the mobile app was average. Additional training is recommended for older adults and their caregivers, including that on targeted behaviors for digital health record keeping.

The Role of Information and Communication Technology in End-of-Life Planning Among a Sample of Canadian LGBT Older Adults

To better understand the role of technology in later-life planning among older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) adults, we conducted focus groups to explore factors linked to diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Twenty focus groups were facilitated across Canada with 93 participants aged 55 to 89. Constant comparative analysis yielded four categories: (a) fear, (b) individual benefits, (d) social elements, and (d) contextual elements. Fear related to technology and fear of end-of-life planning. Individual benefits referred to technology as a platform for developing LGBT identities and as a source of information for later-life planning. Social elements were establishment and maintenance of personal relationships and social support networks. Contextual elements referred to physical and situational barriers to technology use that limited access and usability. These findings can inform technological practice and services to enhance later-life planning.

Predictors of Performance in Everyday Technology Tasks in Older Adults With and Without Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background and Objectives

The ability to use everyday technology has become a key competence for conducting activities of daily living, maintaining an autonomous life, as well as participating in society. However, studying this issue in older adults needs more attention, particularly among those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Research Design and Methods

We assessed the performance of N = 80 older adults (M = 73 years) in a range of tasks representing important life domains, i.e., using a blood pressure monitor, a mobile phone, and an eBook reader. Thirty-nine participants had been diagnosed with MCI by experienced geropsychiatrists and 41 healthy controls were matched for age, sex, and education. Standardized observation based on video-recording and coding was combined with cognitive testing and assessment of social-cognitive variables (self-efficacy, perceived obsolescence, attitudes towards technology).

Results

Cognitively healthy participants outperformed those with MCI regarding completion time and errors. An interaction effect of device and study group indicated larger differences in completion time for tasks with multilayered interfaces. In hierarchical regression models, aggregated cognitive factors (fluid and memory component) predicted performance and interactions with education level emerged. Obsolescence, addressing a perceived lack of competence to cope with modern society, mediated the effect of cognitive status on performance, both regarding time (partial mediation, adj.R2 = 28%) and errors (full mediation, adj.R2 = 23%).

Discussion and Implications

Findings show that social-cognitive factors contribute to differences in performance on everyday technology tasks in addition to cognitive abilities. Training programs may profit from considering respective individual resources or limitations in the cognitive, personality-related or emotional-motivational domain.

Mobile Health Apps: Improving Usability for Older Adult Users

With smartphone use among older populations on the rise, older adults have increased access to health-focused mobile apps. Despite their potential benefits for managing health, currently no guidelines exist for designing these apps specifically for older adult users. We evaluated the usability of one medication management app and two congestive heart failure management apps using cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic analysis, and user testing. We identified design issues that may affect usability for older users, including poor navigation, small button sizes, and inadequate data visualizations. We provide guidelines for developers of health apps to facilitate use by older adults.

Smart eldercare in Singapore: Negotiating agency and apathy at the margins

Around the world, smart technologies are being embraced as a cost-efficient means of enabling the elderly to be cared for in new, more non-proximate ways. They can facilitate ageing-in-place, and have the potential to relieve pressure on the providers of care. Yet, the fact is that the interface of technology and society is a negotiated one. These negotiations are most acutely felt when technology is used to supplement the hitherto human-centred process of caregiving, especially amongst "marginalised" societal cohorts, like the elderly. With this, there is a need to better understand the ways in which smart eldercare technologies are used, misused, or not used by those that they are designed to benefit. Drawing on qualitative data derived from triallists of three smart eldercare technologies in Singapore, this paper explores how the lived experience of smart eldercare can cause agentic and apathetic behaviours towards technology to manifest. Specifically, we identify four expectations - of understanding, response, compliance and appreciation - that undermine the potential beneficence of smart eldercare. To conclude, we emphasise the need for more collaborative, and more contextually-sensitive, approaches to the design, development and implementation of smart eldercare solutions.

An Overview of Participatory Design Applied to Physical and Digital Product Interaction for Older People

An understanding of the need for user-centred and participatory design continues to gain universal momentum both in academia and industry. It is essential this momentum is maintained as the population changes and technology develops. The contribution of this work draws on research from different disciplines to provide the design community with new knowledge and an awareness of the diversity of user needs, particularly the needs and skills of older people. A collection of usability and accessibility guidelines are referenced in terms of their applicability toward designing interfaces and interaction for an ageing population, in conjunction with results from studies that highlight the extent to which familiarity and successful interaction with contemporary products decreases according to age and prior experience, and identifies the problems users experience during interaction with technology. The hope is that more widespread awareness of this knowledge will encourage greater understanding and assist in the development of better design methods and better on- and offline products and tools for those of any age, but particularly those within an increasingly ageing demographic.

Monitoring for change: the role of family and friends in helping older adults manage personal health information

Objective

Although family and friends (FF) often play a significant support role in the health of older adults (OA), we know little about their role in personal health information management (PHIM). To address this gap and inform the design of PHIM tools, we describe the work, needs, and barriers of FF in the context of PHIM for OAs.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 52 FF identified by OA as being important in their health and PHIM. We analyzed interview transcripts for themes about FF information work, barriers, and support needs.

Results

FF play a supportive role in OA health maintenance, medical encounters, decision making, and daily activities. Monitoring, the ongoing process of seeking information related to the OA status, emerged as a key activity comprised of 3 phases: detection, interpretation, and action. Barriers to monitoring included OA choices and constraints, FF constraints, and difficulty with technological tools, resources, health information exchange between providers, social network dynamics, and physical distance.

Conclusions

FF frequently monitor for change in OA well-being, seeking up-to-date information to facilitate support of OA PHIM. Health information technology tools designed for FF can support all phases of monitoring by providing: (1) timely and granular levels of access to OA health information as the OA ages; (2) tailored health education for FF that is based on OA clinical data; and (3) networking platforms that integrate delegation, volunteering, and relevant resources, along with tools to facilitate support of OA appointment calendars and medication management. Such tools could reduce the burden of PHIM for OA and their loved ones.

Assessment of Perceived Attractiveness, Usability, and Societal Impact of a Multimodal Robotic Assistant for Aging Patients With Memory Impairments

The aim of the present study is to present the results of the assessment of clinical application of the robotic assistant for patients suffering from mild cognitive impairments (MCI) and Alzheimer Disease (AD). The human-robot interaction (HRI) evaluation approach taken within the study is a novelty in the field of social robotics. The proposed assessment of the robotic functionalities are based on end-user perception of attractiveness, usability and potential societal impact of the device. The methods of evaluation applied consist of User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), AttrakDiff and the societal impact inventory tailored for the project purposes. The prototype version of the Robotic Assistant for MCI patients at Home (RAMCIP) was tested in a semi-controlled environment at the Department of Neurology (Lublin, Poland). Eighteen elderly participants, 10 healthy and 8 MCI, performed everyday tasks and functions facilitated by RAMCIP. The tasks consisted of semi-structuralized scenarios like: medication intake, hazardous events prevention, and social interaction. No differences between the groups of subjects were observed in terms of perceived attractiveness, usability nor-societal impact of the device. The robotic assistant societal impact and attractiveness were highly assessed. The usability of the device was reported as neutral due to the short time of interaction.

Aging barriers influencing mobile health usability for older adults: A literature based framework (MOLD-US)

BACKGROUND

With the growing population of older adults as a potential user group of mHealth, the need increases for mHealth interventions to address specific aging characteristics of older adults. The existence of aging barriers to computer use is widely acknowledged. Yet, usability studies show that mHealth still fails to be appropriately designed for older adults and their expectations. To enhance designs of mHealth aimed at older adult populations, it is essential to gain insight into aging barriers that impact the usability of mHealth as experienced by these adults.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to synthesize literature on aging barriers to digital (health) computer use, and explain, map and visualize these barriers in relation to the usability of mHealth by means of a framework.

METHODS

We performed a scoping review to synthesize and summarize reported physical and functional age barriers in relation to digital (mobile) health applications use. Aging barriers reported in the literature were mapped onto usability aspects categorized by Nielsen to explain their influence on user experience of mHealth. A framework (MOLD-US) was developed summarizing the evidence on the influence of aging barriers on mHealth use experienced by older adults.

RESULTS

Four key categories of aging barriers influencing usability of mHealth were identified: cognition, motivation, physical ability and perception. Effective and satisfactory use of mHealth by older adults is complicated by cognition and motivation barriers. Physical ability and perceptual barriers further increase the risk of user errors and fail to notice important interaction tasks. Complexities of medical conditions, such as diminished eye sight related to diabetes or deteriorated motor skills as a result of rheumatism, can cause errors in user interaction.

CONCLUSIONS

This research provides a novel framework for the exploration of aging barriers and their causes influencing mHealth usability in older adults. This framework allows for further systematic empirical testing and analysis of mHealth usability issues, as it enables results to be classified and interpreted based on impediments intrinsic to usability issues experienced by older adults. Importantly, the paper identifies a key need for future research on motivational barriers impeding mhealth use of older adults. More insights are needed in particular to disaggregating normal age related functional changes from specific medical conditions that influence experienced usefulness of mHealth by these adults.

Using Information Technology in the Assessment and Monitoring of Geriatric Oncology Patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Older adults with cancer have complex medical needs and often experience higher rates of treatment-related toxicities compared to their younger counterparts. The advent of health information technologies can address multiple gaps in the care of this population. We review the role of existing and emerging technologies in facilitating the use of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in routine clinics, promoting symptom reporting, and monitoring medication adherence.

RECENT FINDINGS

Increasingly, studies demonstrate the feasibility of implementing electronic CGA in routine oncology practices. Evidence also suggests that electronic symptom reporting can improve outcomes in patients with cancer. In addition, technology devices can be used to promote adherence to cancer therapy. There are many opportunities for information technology to be integrated into the management and treatment of older adults with cancer. However, further evaluation of these technologies is needed to ensure that they meet the needs of the targeted end users.

The Effect of Practice and Visual Feedback on Oral-Diadochokinetic Rates for Younger and Older Adults

Assessments of oral-diadochokinetic rates are commonly performed to evaluate oral-motor skills. However, the appropriate administration protocol is not defined, and varies across therapists, clinics and laboratories. In three experiments and an auxiliary one, this study analyzes the effects of brief (motor) practice and visual feedback on the performance of 98 younger (20-40 years old) and 78 older adults (over 65) with the sequential motion rate (SMR) version. Overall rates were significantly faster for younger over older adults. Irrespective of age-group, averaged performance was significantly better on the second round, but the third round was found to be superfluous, across experiments and age-groups. Visual feedback (using a mirror) was found to be detrimental for younger adults, eliminating the advantage reaped from a practice round. For older adults, visual feedback did not alter the effect of a practice round. Sensory (visual) degradation is presented as a possible source for this age-related difference. We discuss these findings and suggest an administration protocol for younger and older adults with the SMR version, including a total of two rounds and no visual feedback.

Closing the Capacity-Ability Gap: Using Technology to Support Aging With Disability

There is a critical need to develop supports for older adults who have a wide range of abilities, including those aging with long-term impairments. Without appropriate support, many individuals will be functioning below optimal levels and will face participation barriers. Technology holds great promise to provide individualized support for a wide range of abilities and for a variety of domains. To ensure technology interventions are designed well and meet research-documented user requirements, we need more specific, actionable models to provide guidance for those developing and designing interventions. In this paper, we present the TechSAge Aging and Disability Model to bridge models from the aging and disability literatures and to disambiguate the population of individuals aging into disability from those aging with disability (i.e., pre-existing impairments). We also present the TechSAge Technology Intervention Model to support aging with pre-existing impairments, which provides direction and touch points for technology interventions. These models reflect the complex and dynamic interaction between age-related changes and an individual's prior capabilities and limitations. We describe the need for these models with respect to filling a gap in the disability and aging literature by highlighting the importance of differentiating between age-related changes and long-term impairments when designing interventions. We also show the need for quantitative and qualitative data to refine the models given complexities of the current state of the literature and survey data. The TechSAge Technology Intervention Model can be used to drive and inform technology redesign and development.

The Usability of Blood Glucose Meters: Task Performance Differences Between Younger and Older Age Groups

This study examines the overall usability of current, commercially available self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) meters in order to highlight how the design affects the performance of younger and older adults. Sixteen younger participants (18-27) and 29 elderly participants (65-85) attempted to complete two tasks: 1) set date/time and 2) perform a control solution test, using two meters: the Accu-Check Compact Plus® and 2) the One Touch Ultra 2®. Overall, elderly participants had significantly more difficulty completing the two tasks and committed significantly more errors than younger participants. When using the Accu-Chek® meter to set the date and time 79% of elderly adults failed compared to 12% of younger adults. When using the One Touch® meter, 21% of elderly adults failed to complete the task while none of the younger adults failed. Across the two tasks, elderly participants made, on average, an additional 1.6 errors compared to those in the younger group.

Information and Communication Technology Use Is Related to Higher Well-Being Among the Oldest-Old

Objectives

Older adults often prioritize socially meaningful goals over informational goals. Thus, we predicted that using information and communication technology (ICT) in service of socially meaningful versus informational goals relates to higher well-being among the oldest-old.

Method

We surveyed 445 adults aged 80+ (mean = 84, range = 80-93; 64% female; 26% non-White) online or via telephone. Participants reported motivations for ICT use (connect with others, learn new information) and rated their psychological and physical well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, loneliness, goal attainment, subjective health, functional limitations). We conducted regression and mediation analyses to test our hypothesis.

Results

Participants used ICT more to connect with friends/family (M = 3.66, SD = 1.28) than to learn information (M = 2.61, SD = 1.44), p < .001. Overall, ICT use predicted higher well-being across outcomes, ps ≤ .008. Motivations for use differentially mediated these effects: Social motivations mediated the relationships between ICT use and psychological well-being, whereas informational motivations mediated the relationships between ICT use and physical well-being.

Discussion

Older adults aged 80+ use ICT less than other generations, but may have much to gain. Using social versus informational technologies may enhance multiple aspects of well-being in different ways during very late life. Highlighting such benefits may increase ICT adoption among the oldest-old.

Designing Serious Computer Games for People With Moderate and Advanced Dementia: Interdisciplinary Theory-Driven Pilot Study

Background

The field of serious games for people with dementia (PwD) is mostly driven by game-design principals typically applied to games created by and for younger individuals. Little has been done developing serious games to help PwD maintain cognition and to support functionality.

Objectives

We aimed to create a theory-based serious game for PwD, with input from a multi-disciplinary team familiar with aging, dementia, and gaming theory, as well as direct input from end users (the iterative process). Targeting enhanced self-efficacy in daily activities, the goal was to generate a game that is acceptable, accessible and engaging for PwD.

Methods

The theory-driven game development was based on the following learning theories: learning in context, errorless learning, building on capacities, and acknowledging biological changes—all with the aim to boost self-efficacy. The iterative participatory process was used for game screen development with input of 34 PwD and 14 healthy community dwelling older adults, aged over 65 years. Development of game screens was informed by the bio-psychological aging related disabilities (ie, motor, visual, and perception) as well as remaining neuropsychological capacities (ie, implicit memory) of PwD. At the conclusion of the iterative development process, a prototype game with 39 screens was used for a pilot study with 24 PwD and 14 healthy community dwelling older adults. The game was played twice weekly for 10 weeks.

Results

Quantitative analysis showed that the average speed of successful screen completion was significantly longer for PwD compared with healthy older adults. Both PwD and controls showed an equivalent linear increase in the speed for task completion with practice by the third session (P<.02). Most important, the rate of improved processing speed with practice was not statistically different between PwD and controls. This may imply that some form of learning occurred for PwD at a nonsignificantly different rate than for controls. Qualitative results indicate that PwD found the game engaging and fun. Healthy older adults found the game too easy. Increase in self-reported self-efficacy was documented with PwD only.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that PwD’s speed improved with practice at the same rate as healthy older adults. This implies that when tasks are designed to match PwD’s abilities, learning ensues. In addition, this pilot study of a serious game, designed for PwD, was accessible, acceptable, and enjoyable for end users. Games designed based on learning theories and input of end users and a multi-disciplinary team familiar with dementia and aging may have the potential of maintaining capacity and improving functionality of PwD. A larger longer study is needed to confirm our findings and evaluate the use of these games in assessing cognitive status and functionality.

Teach or Design? How Older Adults’ Use of Ticket Vending Machines Could Be More Effective

The dominance of computer technology in work and leisure poses challenges for older people. Their lack of computer experience and computer literacy impedes their ability to explore and use new interactive systems. This is particularly challenging for the design of public access systems, such as ticket vending machines (TVM). This article describes a conflict relevant for many designers considering age-related differences in technology use: should the user be taught to use the existing design or should the design be changed to accommodate older users? An experiment was conducted to directly compare these alternative approaches with each other and with a simulation of an existing TVM. It compares three TVM designs regarding the usability criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, controlling for age, and cognitive and motivational characteristics. 62 older (M = 68 years) and 62 younger (M = 25 years) participants were split into three groups: The control group solved 11 tasks using a simulation of the TVM, the video group watched a brief instructional video before solving the same tasks with the same TVM, and the wizard group used a redesigned wizard interface instead. Results indicate that young and old participants’ performance improved after watching the video, but older participants improved more, reaching the effectiveness of the young control group. In the wizard condition, age differences in effectiveness and satisfaction were eliminated; however, speed differences remained in all conditions. The results suggest that the simple integration of minimal video instruction or a task-oriented wizard design can make public access systems truly universally usable, and that the wizard TVM was a true “walk-up-and-use system.”

Can a short internet training program improve social isolation and self-esteem in older adults with psychiatric conditions?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an educational training course on using the internet and touchscreen technology (TT) would decrease social isolation and improve self-esteem in residents living in a low-level residential facility. Twelve sessions over six weeks with two facilitators were provided to five participants with a variety of psychiatric disorders. Measures were completed before and after the 12 sessions. There were no statistically significant improvements or worsening in social isolation (mean score 6.2, SD 3.35) or self-esteem (mean score 18.2, SD 3.56) post the training sessions for the residents. Qualitative feedback suggested that the residents enjoyed this experience and learnt new skills. Further study is recommended using larger samples and alternative outcomes measures.

An Analysis of Age, Technology Usage, and Cognitive Characteristics Within Information Retrieval Tasks

This work presents two studies that aim to discover whether age can be used as a suitable metric for distinguishing performance between individuals or if other factors can provide greater insight. Information retrieval tasks are used to test the performance of these factors. First, a study is introduced that examines the effect that fluid intelligence and Internet usage has on individuals. Second, a larger study is reported on that examines a collection of Internet and cognitive factors in order to determine to what extent each of these metrics can account for disorientation in users.

This work adds to growing evidence showing that age is not a suitable metric to distinguish between individuals within the field of human-computer interaction. It shows that factors such as previous Internet experience and fluid-based cognitive abilities can be used to gain better insight into users’ reported browsing experience during information retrieval tasks.