Let’s begin to answer the research questions in greater detail over here.
General questions we began with:
What are the lifestyle patterns of seniors like Sara who are mobility-challenged and isolated from family contact?
What are the needs of the elderly unmet by technology
Answer: Human contact and social activities are unmet needs.
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Network thinking expands the worldview by seeing that technology or devices themselves are not fixed points but part of other points that include human intervention.
The revolving door of personnel is structured around care work but not for leisure or social activities.
Sara’s constant interactions with people and devices identify her as a patient in need. Alarm by her bed, a mobile phone in her bag for emergency use, assistant to go to doctor’s appointments. Very little here involves leisure activities.
The housekeeper is her constant companion, not her family members.
Risa has been her housekeeper for 8-9 years. She has asked her to accompany her to a festival but requires a lot of planning and preparation. Sara has a car but does not have anyone to drive her.
Lack of social contact as a person NOT as a patient.
Sara’s interactions digitally and offline are all related to her state of health, rather than her well-being as a person. She is also looking for other activities that interest her. She recalled a photo club she used to attend but the organiser has since taken ill with no replacement since.
Some more general questions:
What are the gaps in our understanding of independent living seniors like Sara who are mobility-challenged and isolated from family contact?
How can we holistically understand the health ecosystem?
Answer: Shifting from patient to person perspective in health care design
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Here, network thinking and analysis help to resist a singular perspective. Rather, shifting and dynamic points help to rethink how design must swing and accommodate multiple states simultaneously or successively.
Dependency/Independence are contextual states.
While Sara may have specific mobility issues, she has shown that she can stand and walk when there is something that excites her. If she has interesting activities, would she have decreased pain and greater motivation for movement?
Holistic health combines medical and non-medical interventions.
Research and product development define along the narrow lines of safety and prevention, but not other forms of well-being. How can offline activities be integrated into the home care health ecosystem?
Replacing and updating activities in voluntary networks
Changes such as death or severe illness disrupt fragile social networks of Sara. When the head of the photo club, Luz suffered ill health and could no longer organise activities, Sara was at a loss. She has not found any suitable replacement since.
