2. Although
Ada
has
stated
that
she
doesn't
feel
she
needs
to
use
any
'technology'
in
her
home,
it
is
apparent
that
she
actually
makes
use
of
a
number
of
such
items
already.
Therefore,
it
would
seem
that
the
main
issue
in
this
case
scenario
is
Ada's
associa<ons
of
Assisitve
technology
with:
•
Being
labelled
as
old
or
infirm
•
Reduced
independence
Ada's issues with Assistive Technology
3. For
Ada
to
accept
assis<ve
technology
into
her
home
environment,
the
following
strategies
may
be
considered:
Integra(on
-‐
Find
appropriate
technology
that
is
not
necessarily
associated
with
disability
or
infirmity;
Camouflage
-‐
Is
it
possible
to
disguise
the
technology,
so
that
the
appearance
does
not
s<gma<se
the
user?
Emphasis
-‐
Rather
than
focusing
on
reducing
the
risk
of
falls,
technology
should
be
offered
as
a
means
of
maximising
Ada's
independence.
ICE: strategies to encourage acceptance of AT
5. We
know
that
Ada
has
already
accepted
a
large
amount
of
modern
technology
into
her
home.
Therefore,
if
we
can
find
technology
that
could
be
used
to
manage
her
risk
of
further
falls,
whilst
being
useful
to
her
in
other
ways,
she
is
much
more
likely
to
accept
its
use.
From
Ada's
perspec<ve,
her
isola<on
from
others
is
likely
to
be
more
important
than
dealing
with
falls
or
other
emergencies.
Maybe
we
can
reduce
her
health
risks
by
introducing
a
home
computer
system,
with
access
to
the
internet?
Integration
6. In
2009,
64%
of
adults
aged
65
or
more
reported
that
they
had
never
used
the
internet
(Office
for
Na<onal
Sta<s<cs
2009:10).
The
most
common
reasons
given
for
not
using
the
internet
include:
•
Perceived
lack
of
need
•
Perceived
lack
of
understanding
of
the
technology
(Ofcom,
2009)
However
in
2013,
this
had
reduced
to
just
30%
for
65-‐74
year
olds.
Non
usage
of
the
internet
was
s<ll
high
for
those
aged
75+
(
Office
for
Na<onal
Sta<s<cs
2009:10).
Problems with introducing a computer
7. Ada
may
find
the
following
helpful
in
beginning
to
use
the
internet:
•
So_ware
to
simplify
access
and
browsing:
•
Eldy
•
BigScreenLive
•
Internet
Bubons
•
SimplyUnite
Gem
•
Alex
•
Enable
browsing
without
the
need
for
a
mouse
or
keyboard:
•
PAL
Browser
•
Touch
screen
computers
&
Mul<-‐touch
devices
(e.g.
Microso_
Surface;
Fuss
Free
Phones)
•
Voice
recogni<on
so_ware
(e.g.
Apple
computers)
AT for internet use
8. Some
poten(al
benefits
of
introducing
the
internet
to
Ada
could
be:
•
Access
to
medical
services
online
•
Hands
the
ini<a<ve
back
to
Ada
•
Opportunity
to
incorporate
remote
monitoring
services
•
May
be
more
acceptable
to
Ada
than
a
pendant
alarm
•
Increased
ease
of
contact
with
family
members
•
Reduces
their
level
of
worry
Benefits of Internet use for Ada
10. My
Health
Online
is
a
service
which
will
soon
be
available
to
all
pa<ents
in
Wales,
to:
•
Access
their
health
records
online.
•
Book
GP
appointments
via
the
internet.
•
Order
prescrip<ons
from
home
or
work.
•
Maintain
a
health
diary
that
can
be
shared
with
their
GP.
•
Give
poten<al
for
more
in-‐depth
telemedicine.
NHS
Direct
is
a
digital
health
and
advice
service
which
allows
users
to:
•
Check
their
own
symptoms
and
be
signposted
to
best
treatment.
•
Request
call
backs
from
a
healthy
professional.
•
Choose
and
Book
Appointments
Line
(for
pa<ents
newly
referred
to
hospital
consultant
out-‐pa<ents
clinics).
Accessing medical services online
11. If
Ada
is
unwilling
to
accept
a
community
alarm
sytem,
she
may
s<ll
be
ready
to
engage
with
a
service
which
establishes
contact
with
her
on
a
daily
basis.
Perhaps
the
simplest
of
these
is
Alertacall
and
OK
Each
Day
(opposite)
-‐
but
similar
services
could
also
be
established
informally
with
mainstream
internet
systems.
'Low-key' monitoring services
12. An
unobtrusive
method
of
assessing
if
Ada’s
home
is
warm
enough
could
be
to
use
a
monitoring
system
such
as
the
Envirotxt
plug
in,
which
monitors
high
&
low
temperatures
and
powercuts,
and
sends
a
text
to
family/friends
if
there
are
any
issues.
Another
AT
that
could
be
used
is
the
AroundMe
service,
which
is
being
piloted
in
conjunc<on
with
HDTI,
Coventry
University.
It
incorporates
both
temperature
alerts
and
ac<vity
sensors,
which
send
text
updates
to
a
specific
members
of
a
‘neighbourhood’.
Keeping warm
14. One
of
the
main
problems
with
the
solu<ons
discussed
previously
is
that
they
cannot
detect
a
fall,
etc,
as
it
happens.
•
Therefore,
these
may
not
sa<sfy
the
requirements
of
Ada's
family.
•
However,
Ada
is
unlikely
to
accept
something
that
has
a
'clinical'
appearance.
Possible
future
op<ons:
•
Disguising
a
standard
pendant
alarm
as
an
item
of
jewellery:
•
This
was
suggested
by
par<cipants
in
a
recent
study
by
Coventry
University.
•
Speedy
–
a
fall
detector
integrated
into
a
watch
is
in
development.
•
Necklace
–
not
a
fall
detector
but
poten<ally
the
same
technology.
•
Using
an
alterna<ve
method
of
detec<ng
falls,
such
as:
•
Smart
Carpet
•
iShoes
Detecting falls
16. Even
though
Ada
finds
the
idea
of
a
fall
detector
as
making
her
feel
‘old’
or
‘infirm’,
for
many
they
can
actually
help
to
increase
the
feeling
of
independence
(see
a
video
of
users
here).
Encouraging
Ada
to
see
other
people
like
herself
using
Assis<ve
Technology
to
their
benefit
may
also
help,
specifically,
other
users
with
similar
demographics
who
champion
the
use
of
ATs
(see
an
example
here).
A
recent
project
(COMODAL)
at
HDTI,
Coventry
University
has
looked
into
how
to
improve
the
consumer
market
for
electronic
Assis<ve
Technologies
for
older
people,
specifically
in
increasing
the
desirability
of
investment
in
development.
AT to Increase Independence
