Eric Schlangen MSc. Health Sciences Project leader TCares for Pantein Goal: understanding more fully the needs of telecare users Needs in telecare in NL From a user's perspective

Hospital Pantein 996 employees, 60 medical specialists Home care Pantein 2200 employees Care centers Pantein 1422 employees, 5 nursing homes & 7 care homes Pantein Housing association 1600 homes, merging with Mooiland HA, homes Who is Pantein?

Studies have shown: Problems with smart home technology can be partially ascribed to differences in perceptions of the stakeholders involved. Designers: functionality of the technology, achieving effective goals Caregivers: workload and quality of care Care receivers: usability effects Why interested in user's perspective?

Passive alarm used in many Dutch smart homes not as effective as expected: On basis of negative user experiences removed or disabled. Designers: with only one simple switch turn house on/off Care receivers: expected safety and security but experienced insecurity and unreliability due to false alarms (forgot to switch) Caregivers: expected safety but experienced increasing workload and upset clients Example: passive alarm

A Dutch care organization installed automatic curtains because they thought it would be convenient and support a good day/night rhythm for people with dementia. Designers: convenience, time clock Care receivers: expected nothing (forgot) and experienced confusion (who closed the curtains?) Caregivers: expected better day/night rythm but experienced confused and upset clients Example: automatic curtains

Analysis of expected an experienced effects. Attributes: functionality and design Consequences: functional and psychological effects Values: higher order merits, goals For different stakeholders involved: care receivers, informal and professional caregivers, designers How to prevent these problems

Research through questionnaires Webbased or laptop Easy to do (even for 75+ elderly with no PC experience) First establishing the needs (no technology is mentioned) Secondly: translating needs into technical solutions in a group discussion with users Understanding more fully the needs of users

Questionnaire on laptop Tested at home with the elderly: >80% of the elderly (75+) were able to do the questionnaire 10% had difficulty using the mouse, even after explanation In real use about 60% were able to use the tool: Different socio-economic status Time pressure Care workers give in to elderly, students don't First fase tool (1)

Appointments were made individually 117 people interviewed 78% were over 75 years old 45% receive homecare at least once a week 91% use prescription medication All respondents live self supporting 73% live as a single person household First fase tool (2)

Most popular categories: Care 88% Safety 85% Wellbeing 67% Comfort 33% Energy saving 27% Results

Needs: Alarm when one falls or becomes unwell 87% Carers able to open my door in emergencies 74% Men less so (60%) than woman (79%) Easy in contact with carer/nurse 53% more in homecare users (63%) than in others (44%) Visual contact with nurse or doctor 53% Results category: Care (1)

Needs: Remote monitoring BP, BS, etc. 39% Finding information on disease/treatment 26% Reminder medication on time 11% Results category: Care (2)

Needs: Alarm in case of fire 97% Being able to see who is at your door 89% Flooding alarm bathroom/washing machine 65% Breaking and entering alarm 61% Alarm if CO/Methane gas levels dangerous 56% Results category: Safety (1)

Needs: Automatic lights on to bathroom at night 40% Listening in when stranger at door 34% Check call morning/evening 27% Auto turn off kitchen equipment 27% Results category: Safety (2)

Needs: Information and news 84% Information neighborhood 73% Wanting to help others 78% Joining meetings of elderly 65% Joining game activity 64% Joining exercise activity 57% Enjoying audio/visual at home 56% Finding new people with same interests 40% Results category: Wellbeing (1)

Needs: Hiring a reliable handyman 36% Easy connection to elderly counselor 31% Ordering shoppings 28% Ordering meals 23% Easier way to contact children/family 18% Expanding social network 18% Internet/ without PC use 11% Help with post / banking 11% Results category: Wellbeing (2)

Needs are being recognized Hard to imagine the benefits of technology, happy campers Safety and quality of life main issue: privacy is secondary to that Elderly not technofobic but skeptical of their abilities to master new technology Results match findings in literature: Afraid to make mistakes, no sense of urgency for technology. After experiencing technology acceptance is likely to rise. Next step: group talks

Main developments: Ageing, extramuralization and socialization of care. Residential care will be mainly care for elderly with cognitive problems, can ICT help them to preserve cognitive and physical functions? Transfer from protection to support. Supporting elderly at home with tailor made technology, easy to install and remove. And cheap! Intelligent safety technology that requires no buttons, where user made mistakes have little consequences. Including social networks in the technology: is mum OK? Future needs in NL (1)

Teaching caregivers about technology: patients will get more and better contacts, including you you will spend your time on useful interventions instead of checking and rechecking Intuitive design Splitting off the technology from the service: choice New generation of elderly is coming: fun, social and information content becomes more important. Integration of platforms PC, phone, TV, Home Box working with social networks and also outside your own house. Future needs in NL (2)

Eric Schlangen HabiPro – E: – T: Questions?