Factors to Consider when Introducing Digital Social Activities to Older Persons with Home Care

Abstract

Social isolation and loneliness have become everyday concerns for populations all over the world as these factors are affecting both physical and mental health in a negative way. Feelings of isolation and loneliness are increasingly acknowledged as a health risk among older persons. ICTs have been recognized as effective tools to combat social isolation among older people. The aim of this study was to explore factors of significance when introducing a tablet-based system providing digital social activities for older persons with home care. Participants were 17 persons, age 70 and older, who lived alone and had assistance from home care. This exploratory study used cross-sectional qualitative data analyzed through thematic analysis. Three themes were generated: 1) lacking vocabulary related to the context, 2) intuitive user interface may replace extensive instructions and 3) unwillingness to commit to a pre-defined measure of performance.