Design guidelines are an essential part of human computer interac- tion, for they provide an outlines of the requirements and needs of a user on how best to interact with technology devices. Our research project focuses on understanding how the elderly interact with cur- rent technologies (mobile devices and digital games) and how they can benefit from mobile digital games. The goal is to come up with interface design guidelines to be used by developers when designing mobile games for the elderly. The identification of the guidelines is carried out through a literature survey that includes a literature search based on outlined keywords, and a literature review of the selected research. The evaluation process of the guidelines involves user testing of a prototype based on some of the identified guidelines. Even with minor setbacks, the evaluation process indicates that the guidelines are beneficial for the development of mobile games for the elderly.

Some elderly people with deteriorating abilities who receive home care service and do not use new technologies miss social content in their everyday lives. In my thesis, I research which role technology can play for these home care receivers in experiencing culture and how social interaction with peers from the same urban neighborhood can be embedded in this cultural experience. Based on my findings, I defined culture as little special moments in everyday life which change the perception of a day positively. Outgoing from fieldwork and literary research, I developed two scenario-based designs, PeerRadio and PeerLight, with the aim to create these moments at home in the elderly people’s everyday lives. PeerRadio is a radio program for home care receivers from the same neighborhood which sends contributions made by the elderly people themselves and gives them a reason to talk to each other. PeerLight is a connected lamp which makes the user’s activity visible at a peer’s home and vice versa and thereby supports caring for each other. Finally, my thesis clarifies how these concepts are answers to the named research questions and how they should be developed further in future works.

The study explored the perceptions of social workers on loneliness among elderly people in residential care facilities in Gävle and Stockholm, Sweden, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  An exploratory qualitative study method was used. Four social workers working with elderly people in residential care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic participated in the study. Data were gathered for the study using an interview guide, and thematic analysis was used to analyze them. The study’s results were captured in two main themes which reflect the study’s research questions: social workers' perception of loneliness, and elderly people’s experiences of loneliness. According to social workers, the study concluded that loneliness is a multifaceted, subjective feeling that can trigger many coping methods and severely impact older people's health. In order to combat loneliness among older persons as a public health issue, social workers believe that a stronger involvement of the entire society is required.

Bakgrund: Känslan av ensamhet uppstår när det finns en önskan att ha fler sociala relationer. Förlusten av partner, funktionsnedsättning och psykisk ohälsa är riskfaktorer för ensamhet. Äldre personer kan få insatser av kommunen för att få möjligheter att bo kvar hemma. Ålderdomens naturliga förändringar medför en ökad risk för sjukdomar. Ensamheten påverkar hälsan negativt. Stark KASAM ger möjlighet för återhämtning efter hälsoproblem. Att ge god och personcentrerad omvårdnad ingår i sjuksköterskans roll. Ensamhet kan innebära lidande. Vårdpersonal har inte tillräckligt med tid och saknar medvenhet om ensamhetens konsekvenser. Syfte: Att beskriva upplevelser av ensamhet hos äldre personer inskrivna i hemsjukvården. Metod: En litteraturbaserad studie baserad på tio vetenskapliga kvalitativa artiklar med äldre personers perspektiv. Resultat: Ur analysen identifierades två kategorier: Att känna sig sårbar, Lättnad av att se möjliga lösningar med sju underkategorier. Konklusion: Studien ger en ökad förståelse av äldre personers upplevelser av ensamhet. Sjuksköterskan behöver ställa konkreta frågor om ensamhet och anpassa vården efter den äldre personens behov för att kunna lindra lidandet och förebygga ensamhetens komplikationer. / Background: Loneliness arises when there is a desire for more social relationships. Loss of a partner, disability, and mental health issues are risk factors for loneliness. Older individuals can receive support from the municipality to remain living at home. The natural changes of aging increase the risk of illness. Loneliness impacts health negatively. A strong sense of coherence allows for recovery after health problems. Providing good and person-centered care is part of the nurse’s role. Loneliness can lead to suffering. Healthcare professionals often lack sufficient time and awareness of the consequences of loneliness. Aim: To describe experiences of loneliness in elderly people who are enrolled in home health care. Method: Literature based study used on ten qualitative articles. Findings: From the analysis two categories were identified; Feeling vulnerable and exposed and Relief from seeing possible solutions, with seven subcategories. Conclusion: The study provides an increased understanding of older individuals’ experiences of loneliness. Nurses need to ask specific questions about loneliness and tailor care to the needs of the older person in order to alleviate suffering and prevent complications related to loneliness.

No / Purpose. This article contrasts community hospital and general hospital philosophies of care and examines how they relate to patients' and caregivers' experiences. Methods. Semi-structured interviews with 42 staff were used to produce care setting vignettes in six community hospitals and four general hospitals in the midlands and north of England. The vignettes were used with 26 patients and 10 caregivers in semi-structured interviews. Results. Community hospital and general hospital staff identified shared understandings of requirements for post-acute rehabilitation care for older people. Distinctive features were: general hospital – medical efficiency, helping patients get better, high standard of care, need for stimulation; community hospital – homelike setting, quiet, calm ambience, good views, orientated to elderly people, encouragement of social interaction, involvement of relatives in care. In the main there was symmetry between staff aspirations and patients' experience. However some concepts used and assumptions made by staff were not recognised by patients. These were characteristically reframed in patients' answers as if they were discussing subjective dimensions of care. Conclusions. There was patient and caregiver preference for the homelike environment of community hospitals. In care of older people, where the focus is rehabilitation, patient preferences are particularly pertinent and should be considered alongside clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

<p>The general aim of this dissertation is to describe and analyse how public old-age care in Sweden has developed and changed during the last century. The study applies a provider perspective on how care has been planned and professionally carried out. A broader social policy perspective, studying old-age care at central/national as well as local/municipal level, is also developed. A special focus is directed at the large local variation in care and services for the elderly. The empirical base is comprised of official documents and other public sources, survey data from interviews with elderly recipients of public old-age care, and official statistics on publicly financed and controlled old-age care and services.</p><p>Study I addresses the development of old-age care in Sweden during the twentieth century by studying an important occupation in this field – the supervisors and their professional roles, tasks and working conditions. Throughout, the roles of supervisors have followed the prevailing official policy on the proper way to provide care for elderly people in Sweden; from poor relief at the beginning of the 1900s, via a generous level of services in the 1960s and 1970s, to today’s restricted and economy-controlled mode of operation.</p><p>Study II describes and compares two main forms of public old-age care in Sweden today, home help services and institutional care. The care-load found in home-based care was comparable to and sometimes even larger than in service-homes and other institutions, indicating that large care needs among elderly people in Sweden today can be met in their homes as well as in institutional settings.</p><p>Studies III and IV analyse the local variation in public old-age care in Sweden. During the last decades there has been an overall decline in home help services. The coverage of home help for elderly people shows large differences between municipalities throughout this period, and the relative variation has increased. The local disparity seems to depend more on historical factors, e.g., previous coverage rates, than on the present municipal situation in levels of need or local economy and politics.</p><p>In an introductory part the four papers are linked together by an outline of the demographic situation and the social policy model for old-age care in Sweden. Trends that have been apparent over time, e.g. professionalisation and market orientation, are traced and discussed. Conflicts between prevailing ideologies are analysed, in regards to for instance home-based and institution-based care, social and medical culture, and local and central levels of decision-making. ’Welfare municipality’, ‘path dependency’, and ‘decentralisation’ are suggested as a conceptual framework for describing the large and increasing local variations in old-age care. Finally, implications of the four studies with regard to old-age care policy and further research are discussed.</p>

Esta tese versa sobre a osteoartrose (OA) de joelho no idoso, a sobrecarga do cuidador, a qualidade de vida (QV) de ambos e a relação entre a díade idoso-cuidador familiar. Dessa forma, seu objetivo foi de estudar o perfil populacional e a QV de idosos com OA e de seus cuidadores familiares. O estudo foi realizado em duas fases; na primeira foram elaborados dois artigos de revisão de literatura. E, na segunda, foram elaborados três artigos empíricos, que foram do tipo quantitativo, observacional, descritivo e de corte transversal. A amostra foi constituída por 15 idosas diagnosticadas com OA de joelho e seus cuidadores familiares. Para as idosas foram aplicados o questionário sociodemográfico e clínico, a Escala Visual Analógica (EVA), o questionário Algofuncional de Lequesne, o World Health Organization Questionnaire for Quality of Life Bref Form (WHOQOL-Bref) e o questionário da relação idoso-cuidador. Para os cuidadores foram aplicados o questionário sociodemográfico e clínico, a escala Zarit Burden Interview, o WHOQOL-Bref e o questionário da relação cuidador-idoso. As idosas apresentaram média de idade de 746,4 anos, com Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) médio de 26,91 8,85 Kg/m2, das quais 53,33% (n=8) eram casadas e moravam com os maridos, 66,6% (n=10) eram aposentadas, 60% (n=8) não praticavam atividade física e 93,3% (n=14) utilizava algum tipo de medicação. Em relação aos cuidadores, 53,3% eram homens (n=8), com média de idade de 58,5317,54 anos, com IMC médio de 25,164,80 Kg/m2, dos quais 73,33% (n=11) eram casados, 60% (n=8) não praticavam atividade física e 93,3% (n=14) eram fumantes. De forma geral, observou-se que as idosas portadoras de OA de joelho, apontaram a dor como sintoma mais identificável e que a QV está diminuída, sendo o físico o pior domínio. Em relação aos cuidadores familiares, percebeu-se presença de sobrecarga e a que a QV está diminuída. Ao comparar a QV da díade idoso-cuidador, os resultados mostraram que as idosas têm a QV mais comprometida que o cuidador, exceto no domínio relações sociais. E a relação entre o par, demonstra indícios de ser harmoniosa. Com esta tese, gerou o projeto de um programa de apoio a saúde, para indivíduos com OA e seus cuidadores buscando minimizar as repercussões da OA na vida dos idosos e minimizar a sobrecarga sofrida pelos cuidadores. / This thesis deals with the osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in the elderly, the burden of the caregiver, the quality of life (QOL) and the relationship between the old-family caregiver dyad. That way, your goal was to study the population profile and the QOL of elderly people with OA and their family caregivers. The study was conducted in two phases, on the first were elaborated two articles of literature review. And on the second, three practical articles were developed, which were quantitative type, observational, descriptive and cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 15 older diagnosed with knee OA and their family caregivers. For the elderly have been applied the demographic questionnaire and clinical, the Visual analogue scale (EVA), Algofuncional survey of Lequesne, the World Health Organization Questionnaire for Quality of Life-Form Bref (WHOQOL-Bref) and the old relationship quiz-caregiver. For caregivers have been applied the demographic questionnaire and clinical, Zarit Burden Interview, scale the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire and the relative caregiver-aged. The elderly showed an average age of 74 6.4 years, with body mass index (BMI) 26.91 average 8.85 Kg/m2, out of which 53.33% (n = 8) were married and lived with their husbands, 66.6% (n = 10) were retired, 60% (n = 8) did not practice physical activity and 93.3% (n = 14) used some type of medication. In relation to caregivers, 53.3% were men (n = 8), with an average age of 58.53 17.54 years, with average BMI 25.16 4.80 Kg/m2, of which 73.33% (n = 11) were married, 60% (n = 8) did not practice physical activity and 93.3% (n = 14) were smokers. In general, it is observed that the elderly patients with OA of knee, point out the pain as a symptom more identifiable and the QOL is decreased, being the worst physical domain. In relation to family caregivers, realized an increase of burden and the QOL is diminished. When comparing the QOL of the elderly carer dyad, the results show that the elderly are the most committed to the caregiver QV, except in the field social relations. And, the relationship between the pair, shows signs of being harmonious. With this thesis, the design of a health support program, for individuals with OA and their caregivers seeking to minimize the impact of OA in the lives of the elderly and minimize overhead suffered by caregivers.

The general aim of this dissertation is to describe and analyse how public old-age care in Sweden has developed and changed during the last century. The study applies a provider perspective on how care has been planned and professionally carried out. A broader social policy perspective, studying old-age care at central/national as well as local/municipal level, is also developed. A special focus is directed at the large local variation in care and services for the elderly. The empirical base is comprised of official documents and other public sources, survey data from interviews with elderly recipients of public old-age care, and official statistics on publicly financed and controlled old-age care and services. Study I addresses the development of old-age care in Sweden during the twentieth century by studying an important occupation in this field – the supervisors and their professional roles, tasks and working conditions. Throughout, the roles of supervisors have followed the prevailing official policy on the proper way to provide care for elderly people in Sweden; from poor relief at the beginning of the 1900s, via a generous level of services in the 1960s and 1970s, to today’s restricted and economy-controlled mode of operation. Study II describes and compares two main forms of public old-age care in Sweden today, home help services and institutional care. The care-load found in home-based care was comparable to and sometimes even larger than in service-homes and other institutions, indicating that large care needs among elderly people in Sweden today can be met in their homes as well as in institutional settings. Studies III and IV analyse the local variation in public old-age care in Sweden. During the last decades there has been an overall decline in home help services. The coverage of home help for elderly people shows large differences between municipalities throughout this period, and the relative variation has increased. The local disparity seems to depend more on historical factors, e.g., previous coverage rates, than on the present municipal situation in levels of need or local economy and politics. In an introductory part the four papers are linked together by an outline of the demographic situation and the social policy model for old-age care in Sweden. Trends that have been apparent over time, e.g. professionalisation and market orientation, are traced and discussed. Conflicts between prevailing ideologies are analysed, in regards to for instance home-based and institution-based care, social and medical culture, and local and central levels of decision-making. ’Welfare municipality’, ‘path dependency’, and ‘decentralisation’ are suggested as a conceptual framework for describing the large and increasing local variations in old-age care. Finally, implications of the four studies with regard to old-age care policy and further research are discussed. / <p>Härtill 4 uppsatser</p>

This thesis contributes original knowledge through an inclusive design approach to lowering language and communication barriers in healthcare and suggests shifting the discussion from culture to context to lower intra-cultural hindrances towards learning English amongst some ethnic minorities. It offers an adaptable, scalable concept for gathering data on ethnic minorities (considering both different generations and religions) and employs a framework based analysis in design. Over the course of three studies grounded on theoretical insights from literature, primary research lead to the development and testing of innovative aids for communication, including educative and motivational elements. This research began by seeking to understand ethnic minority consumers (EMCs) perceptions of any barriers hindering their take-up of products or services in the UK, and their preferences. This is particularly significant as the UK s EMC population is predicted to double by 2051 and to diversify further, presenting challenges for social cohesion and planning future community goals. EMCs also represent a significant market for service and product providers. The research focussed on EMCs from the Indian Subcontinent based on religions and generations. It highlighted that first generation females lacking English and/or literacy (across religions and age groups) faced problems with services and issues around empowerment . The importance of improved access to healthcare was a strong theme. On investigating NHS staffs perceptions, five barriers were identified (Language barriers; Low-literacy; a Lack of understanding; Attitudes, gender and health beliefs; and Information retention) and that a female subgroup was particularly affected. This study sets out staffs perceptions of the aids currently employed and suggestions of what would help. It identified a (currently) low use of visual communication aids in adult-patient care and that pharmacist-patient communication in pharmacies was low. Ideally, staff would like patients to learn English and to use more low-cost visual communication aids. These findings lead to the development of innovative visual communication aids through inclusive and user-centred approaches and participatory design and brainstorming methods. This enabled the development of aids by considering the needs of NHS staff, EMCs lacking English and/or literacy and indigenous elderly people to promote better patient-staff communication including a take-away educational element for learning English at home.

The thesis deals with the issue of computer literacy of elderly people and the offer of these courses in Prague. First part of the thesis is devoted to theoretical and analytical introduction of terms such as old age, aging, age, older adult, literacy and education of elderly people. This part also provides a deeper insight into gerontagogy and gerontodiadactics related to ICT literacy. The second part contains an analysis of the internet offer of computer literacy courses in Prague and the results of the quantitative questionnaire survey. These results are analysed and explained. Then the specified hypotheses are evaluated on their base. The thesis is written on the base of a comparison of scholarly sources from Czech and foreign authors and on analysis and synthesis of the data identified in the survey. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)