Abstract
In this study, we implemented a four-stage service design process to analyze the home-based interaction behavior between elderly and other family members to identify hidden needs for strengthening inter-generational relationships and creating harmony as a turning point for new product innovations in home-based interactive devices. In the demand exploration stage and demand definition stage, context inquiry and service modeling were applied to understand the intergenerational relationship between the elderly and other family members and the potential needs and expectations of family interactions. The overall demand mainly includes four points: (1) the improvement in inter-generational relationships requires the active care of family members, (2) the improvement in inter-generational emotional interactions requires accurate mastery of parental responsibilities, (3) the chairing design of the living room can be used to understand and document parental life practice, and (4) big data parental lifestyle records can be analyzed. Based on hidden demands, a smart care interactive system (SCIS) with a chair was designed for improving emotional interactions and parent-child interaction between the elderly and other family members. The results of the verification experiment show that the smart care interactive chair (SCIC) can significantly help the elderly with intergenerational relationships in terms of emotional support and parent-child interactions. The family emotional support and parent-child interactions are the foundation of the sustainability of family relationships and the cornerstone of social stability.
Highlights
Due to rapid growth of the industrial era, industries have transformed and the economic development gap between rural and urban areas has widened
We explored the potential needs and expectations of the intergenerational relationships between elderly people and their adult children using the service design method, and developed an intelligent interactive care chair to improve the emotional support and parent-child relationship between the elderly and their adult children
Based on the potential need to improve the intergenerational emotional relationship summarized in the above survey, we developed a home-based intelligent interaction system
Summary
Due to rapid growth of the industrial era, industries have transformed and the economic development gap between rural and urban areas has widened. With the progress of society and the development of medical science and technology, the social population structure is ageing, and the living pattern of the elderly population in Taiwan has changed. The proportion of elderly people living with their children (including spouses) is close to 68%. The proportion of people living separately from their children (including spouses) is 32% [2]. Connidis [3] thought that, despite the changes in family life caused by social changes, the elderly ethnic group may be separated from their adult children. Previous studies have shown that interpersonal interactions are an important issue for the elderly, since about 25% of 70- to 85-year-olds remain at their homes. Having more time at home causes a relatively high frequency of interactions with loved ones, and since the elderly have twice as much free time as other age groups, many scholars suggest that proper interpersonal interactions can maintain the mental health of the elderly [7,8] and can reduce psychological social isolation and loneliness [9], further reducing the risk of death and of Alzheimer‘s disease [10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
