Promoting Independence for Socially Isolated Seniors

How can the design of an in-home assistive interface incorporate familiar social engagement strategies to mitigate feelings of isolation and improve confidence in a senior’s ability to successfully age-in-place?

Casey Stanek Walsh MGXD 2022

Aging-in-place is the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level. Gerontechnologists suggest that smart technology is a viable tool for seniors who want to age-inplace, as it can give seniors more confidence in their ability to live alone and at a much lower cost than other alternatives. As society becomes ever more reliant on new technology, however, the older population — less likely to know how to manage the technology themselves — is losing access to information and is being excluded from the design of technological advances. This research investigates how the design of a system of assistive interfaces can support independence and address the negative implications of natural aging for aging-in-place individuals experiencing mild cognitive decline and social isolation. It explores scenarios where familiar social engagement strategies, such as prompting shared experiences and observing routine and abnormal behaviors, are integrated into the design of in-home assistive technology.

Through social television, the interface greets the user, and prompts him to introduce himself to other users. He is then guided to record his first group post. He learns of a vegetable growing group, and decides to join. The user’s view of a productivity dashboard visualizes his and his teammates’ productivity, as well as team resources.

Visual schema of a growing conversation, where members commit to engage and then contribute to different branches of discussion