Information from the past: how elderly people orchestrate presences, memories and technologies at home

Abstract

This paper describes insights from an ethnographic study aimed at understanding the uses and meanings of objects and domestic spaces in the daily practices of older adults. This work was inspired from the awareness that designing suitable domestic technologies which “fit” into seniors’ home environments requires a deep understanding of how elders arrange and give meanings to their domestic spaces and objects. The final goal of this research is to provide insights into the ways older people make sense of products and services in relation to their individual and social well-being at home. Further studies will address applicative implications regarding how to use these insights to design as innovative and as effective products and services. This research involved two hundred and forty-one participants aged over 65 in Italy from different household situations (living alone, with others, in the family home) and in different social contexts (in rural and large urban areas). In-field observations were carried out at homes of the elderly, and data were collected through narrative interviews, home tours (audio and video recorded), photographs of objects and environments and ethnographic field notes. Results showed that several elements at home become a choreography of “fondness objects” which support the remembrance (e.g. mementos) and keep the elderly company (e.g. TV and radio). These objects are often related to meaningful personal memories from past experiences and are “traces” of relationships which are no longer physically present were relevant in some periods of life. Ethnographic data return a clear picture of the elderly like people that actively organize their world starting from their strong need of relationships and selective remembering that supports their emotional lives. Implications and suggestions for designers are also discussed.