Enhancing social interaction between older adults and their families

Abstract

The rise of Internet and ubiquitous technologies have spread and diversified the social media used by people to interact among them. Unfortunately most older adults are not able to use these solutions. This situation isolates them and negatively affects their physical and mental health. Aiming to improve mood in older adults, and helping them overcome the negative effects of social isolation, we have developed a computer-based intermediary system, that we called Social Connector. This system is capable of boosting the social interaction between an elder and his/her close relatives; e.g. adult children and grandchildren. The system can also be used as a sensor of elders' social interactions and mood. The preliminary evaluation results indicate that the system is well accepted by older adults, and it can be used to boost social interactions with their relatives. © Springer International Publishing 2013.