VOC OVERVIEW From the beginning of the project till now, I have conducted VOC’s at various stages: LEVEL1
To understand the process and sstake holders in the medication process interviews were conducted with doctors, pharmacists and elderly persons.
LEVEL2
2. To gain a better insight into the lives of the elderly, interviews with the elderly were conducted. Point convered were: a. View point on medication and health b. engagement with technology c. what they enjoy d. who they interact with in the community and family e. what they are emotional about 3. on the basis of the data obtained, three broad categories were chalked out. These personas helped cover a maximum needs of the elderly and mediction management.
LEVEL3
4. Took lo fidelity prototypes to the users to gain their opinion on the solutions. The feedback is helpin in improving the solutions.
BROAD CATEGORIES OF VOC’s CATEGORY 1
Patient and Pharmacy dispensing and updating medicines loop
CATEGORY 2
CATEGORY 3
INSIGHTS FROM VOCs
Understanding Elderly and Technology Through the data collected during the brainstrom sessions at the elder care center, categories of the relationship between technology and elders started emerging.
Emerging Categories
Negative
Positive
Emerging Categories
Emerging Categories
Knitting groups
Siblings
-earn small wage -buy gifts for family -tutor friends
-discuss health problems -laugh about it to eachother -ask about family
Satt-Sanng Laughter clubs Tease eachother
Go to elderly homes to chat & listen to them
Chai +vada
Pre-planning
birthday treats
-what to cook for guests -bank/bill errands - phone bills/rent
social organisation treat/camp Bond with strangers MAKE NEW FRIENDS
WALKS Proud Discussions
Time to bond
SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Daily Groups
-keep long fasts -wait for extreme health problem -make it a ego issue -bridge -cards -housey -motivational talks/conselling
-write essays -REKI -yoga -gardening
Morning walk
Fasts
Groups
Activities Evening walk
-read verses from religious books -discuss stories -exchange sweets and food -pot pourri -play host in rotation -cook & organise event -make something(gifts)
Organize events:Women’s day
Weekly Social Groups
Gossip
Skype/ Phone calls with family
New discussions Varied outlook
New people Ex work friends Childhood friends -meet and reminiscence
PHONE CALLS
Short visits
Grandchildren
-small call, great happiness -proud of their achievements
Relatives
Proud Discussions
ACHIEVEMENTS ACHIEVEMENTS -discuss match -call if they can’t go to meet
Long Distance birthday
FRIENDS
holidays
Early morning calls Recall old memories FIRST ONES TO CALL
FAMILY
Trips with family
staying with them for a while
Events birth of a child
Weekend visits
yearly festivals
ENJOYMENT FOR THE ELDERLY What do you see them enjoying?
Long test matches Cricket match YOUTUBE -info videos -old family videos
wedding
Things they love to share
Fav Serials
TV
Part of cherished memories
Re-runs
WATCH/LISTEN
Exchange books within family
Weekly Social Groups
Daily Groups
Long Distance birthday
FRIENDS
Events Weekend visits
birth of a child yearly festivals
ENJOYMENT FOR THE ELDERLY What do you see them enjoying?
Long test matches Cricket match YOUTUBE -info videos -old family videos
wedding
Things they love to share
Fav Serials
TV
Part of cherished memories
Re-runs
WATCH/LISTEN
Exchange books within family
READ Audio Books Old Music Storehouse of memories
Radio
Cassette Walkman
Fav channels
Cricket score
-while sleeping
Current News
Golden Era songs
Newspaper Current news State News Crosswords Editorials Read Re-read Discuss
-Specific times of the day -Associated with activity
New Information
Borrow books Nearby Library
Share opinion of books Types: philosophy
Old books Come with memories
Books at home Spiritual reading Bhagvad Gita/Quraan/ Bible Ramayana Religious phrases
regional language translations spiritual religion literature biographies history humour self help fiction
Unawareness frightens them Scared of hyped circumstances by people surrounding them
Don’t see anything to look forward to. ‘whats the point of getting well soon?’
Feel alone in the struggle
Anger and emotional outburst Escalate needs
Frequently moved to tears
DRUG INTERACTIONS
Complain/whine Increasing Interaction
Initially feel needed
Over Emotional
Shift in emotions
Feel controlled Loss of independence
DEPRESSION
STAYING ALONE
ANXIETY
Agressive Defensive
FEAR OF ABANDONMENT
‘’If I tell my father to change his behaviour, very often---EMOTIONAL FALLOUT
HEALTH
Deceive themselves and others
While studying the enjoyment factors in the life of an elderly, another important category emerged, emotions.
CHILDREN MOVE AWAY
FEAR OF LOSS OF PRIVACY
FAMILY
Try to avoid emotional stress DENY THE TRUTH
Don’t want to hear that they are not well
Elderly associate a lot of emotions with the people, objects, activities around them. This led to a study of the emotional aspects for the elderly.
Listen to what they have to say
PROFOUND LOVE
Ignore problem till last minute Take time to accept the truth
EMOTIONAL ASPECTS FOR ELDERLY Not so good emotions
Happy emotions
Small Doings Give Them A Lot To Cherish SIMPLE SMILES
MEDIA FROM YESTERYEARS
LOYALTY
Gifts
-Keep reminents of gifts/memories Relate old memories to old movies -recall incidents -relevance of songs -fav actors/actresses
Watch old movies through new medium
Idealize
Something to latch on to for old times sake
ARTIFACTS Old address books Old walkman/ Radio Old wallet Old furniture
New age Tablets Mobile Cordless Phones
Glorify the past Repeat narration of incidents to who ever listens
MEMORIES
Give them something to talk about FAMILY STORYTELLER Carry forward legacy
-cooking -game -incident -relevant object -tradition
many scenarios Like sharing info, shows that they know MORE
Feel in control
Microsoft Word Like to write more Easier due to erase option (unlimited rewriting capabilities)
Google Like Learning new things Easy to access information Good tool to learn new things Share interesting stuff amongst group/family/ friends
Can afford to stumble, delete things accidently, and recover them
Understanding Elderly & Technology While trying to understand elderly, their interaction with technology was an important factor that needed to be studied. To get started, reading material available online and offline on this subject was explored. Some of the understanding gained has been given ahead.
To get some first hand data, a brainstorm session with the elderly group at Nightingales Elder Activity Center was conducted. Through the data collected during the brainstorm sessions at the elder care center, categories of the relationship between technology and elders started emerging.
Timely use (morning radio/news)
Cant follow accents on audio instructions enabled phones
Denial mode Hypertension
Get extreme informationn which scares them Google
see relevant symtoms
associate with disease
Enables customized and personalized info
Timely use (morning radio/news)
Easy to use addons (SMS, bluetooth, sensors)
Audio communication
GADGETS USED
Faster Economical
blow the situation out of proportion
Response based monitoring Enable 2 way communication
TECHNOLOGY AND ELDERLY
Leads to frantic/anxious calls to family/ friend/ caregiver
Scared of experimenting
LEARNING CURVE Once they learn something new they STICK TO IT Finicky about getting back to old methods Get used to ease of use
Forget learning even after somebody teches them
Wait for grandson to come and perform task. Don’t risk
Little confusion leads to reorting to old familiar modes of operation
Read about hackers and feel unfamiliar websites will trick them Max tech questions were on privacy concerns
Feel tech leads to invasion of privacy
PRIVACY
Access to phone numbers, personal details, emails Refrain from booking tickets online Scared of putting bank details online
Don’t do money transactions in general over internet
Can’t be reason for isolation
REMOTE MONITORING TECHNIQUES THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Very slow learning curve
Mobile
Geographic mobility
Already know how to use them
Personal gadget
Easy to type
Depression
Easy to carry
Video +audio
Radio/music player
Email Most preferred medium
SOFTWARE & FEATURES
Health Related Look at Google for medical information
Before meeting doctor
Telivision
Resort back to typing More comfortable with it
Share interesting stuff amongst group/family/ friends
Affordable
Know how to use it
Hearing issue -insisted on loudspeaker/ headphones
Belongs to ONE person, easy to communicate sensitive info
Non- Intruisive Access to information ONLY when required. NO overload of information TIME CONTEXT SERVICE
Based System
Needs to be a hetergenous system -adaptable across devices -adapt to elderly activity Can’t be overbearing. Elderly should NOT feel surrounded /monitored by technology
WHEN TO FOLLOW EACH TYPE OF COMMUNICATION
As per the data obtained, motivation was a very important factor in the life of en elderly. As their physical health deteriorates, keeping them mentally healthy and positive was something that looked like a very important factor. How could this motivation be communicated to them? A crux of the ways of communication are given ahead.
MOTIVATION
EMOTIONAL Who conveys the message? Needs to believe in the medication system. Fellow ill/elderly
FINANCIAL Reduction in costs Reduces dependency?
Less learning curve Social isolation Motivate to use
GENTLE About illness Treatment and side effects
Rewards/surprises improvements
LIFESTYLE Intregrate within daily schedule
MEDICATION
Affect less change in daily life GEL INTO LIFE
Patient
Continued treatment for life, increase in costs?
UBIQUITOUS Invisible Technology Communication
Community Building Companionship
WHEN TO FOLLOW EACH TYPE OF COMMUNICATION Less learning curve Social isolation
DIRECT Costs saved
seeks advice?
Qualities of solution
Family
Prototype Validation VOC