How can ICT help the visually impaired older adults in residential care institutions: The everyday needs survey

Abstract

Older adults challenged with vision impairments require special care, often served in residential care institutions. This paper presents outcomes of a user study to reveal everyday needs and problems of clients of such institution. The study was organized as semistructured interviews with residential home clients (N = 6) and staff (N = 6). Our findings indicate that most needs can be already addressed by specific care given in residential institutions. However, we identified areas where ICT could be beneficial for better orientation and well-being of clients. We draw results to motivate and frame design directions.