Abstract
In Mexico, many seniors are alone for most of the day or live in public nursing homes. Simple interaction with computer systems is required for older people. This is why we propose the exploration of a medium well known by seniors, such as the television (TV). The primary objective of this study is to improve the quality of life of seniors through an easier reminder system, using the television set. A technological platform was designed based on interactive television, through which seniors and their caregivers can have a better way to track their daily activities. Finally, an evaluation of the technology adoption was performed with 50 seniors living in two public nursing homes. The evaluation found that the elderly perceived the system as useful, easy to use, and they had a positive attitude and good intention to use it. This helped to generate initial evidence that the system supported them in achieving a better quality of life, by reminding them to take their medications and increasing their rate of attendance to their medical appointments.
Highlights
This paper describes the user acceptance evaluation and the main characteristics of iTVCare, a technological platform based on interactive television to provide seniors with support for challenging everyday activities such as medication intake and reminders of medical appointments, to improve the quality of life of older adults in non-clinical settings, such the home and public nursing homes
We identified 500 elderly people and caregivers (n = 500) willing to share their experiences with us in answering questions in an interview oriented towards understanding the access to technology of Mexican seniors living in the State of Colima (65+ years)
We presented an electronic platform based on interactive television that helps Mexican seniors to have better control of their daily activities, such as medicine intake and medical appointments, and support them in achieving a better quality of life by not forgetting to take their medications and attend appointments with their doctors
Summary
Technological advancementsin information and communication technologies (ICT) play a fundamental role in all knowledge and service areas, but especially in health care, with the emergence of highly complex devices for home healthcare which helps service providers to communicate in-home with their patients [1]. It is estimated that in the U.S, 20,000 professionals provide health care at home to 8 million individuals. These numbers will surely rise as life expectancy increases. The growing number of older people has resulted in an increase in chronic diseases (heart attacks, diabetes and renal disorders), cognitive impaired individuals [2], and sensory and motor function impairments, compromising elderly independence and quality of life
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