Notes from the field: social distancing for older adults
PROJECT LEAD: Kate Piper
PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS: Mike Morrow, Grace Wickerson, John Zoshak
AUTHOR: Grace Wickerson
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Our team was formed to understand the experiences of “seniors” who are socially distancing during the COVID-19 crisis and seek out current difficulties. This led us to the following main HMW statement: How might we improve the experience of social distancing for adults over age 65?
INSIGHTS & RESEARCH
As we started diving into the research, we realized just how big the population over age 65 is, with over 50 million Americans falling into this age demographic and multiple generations represented. We also realized that not all “seniors” share the same experiences, looking at the extremes we understand that some seniors have immense family support while some have no children or living family, some are living completely independent while others are in a nursing home or assisted living facility with no choice of movement, and some are tech-savvy while others are complete techno-phobes. These multitudes of divergent experiences make this a complex design space, and one that the team is just starting to understand through interviewing “seniors” experiencing these different extremes. We know anything we can find to improve the experience will save lives, as social isolation is very detrimental to older adults, with studies associating isolation with a significantly increased risk of premature mortality from all causes including a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia.
THE INTERVIEWS
We’re focusing our interviews around key stakeholders: adults at both the younger and older end of the ‘senior’ spectrum, family members, organizations, and healthcare workers.
From the older adults we’ve interviewed so far, we’ve already come to understand different experiences between generations, with our younger demographic of “seniors” being much more open to technology than older demographics. This allows them to use video-conferencing technologies to connect with friends, family, and their community organizations as well as enjoy online symphonies and operas. Yet, this too has it’s challenges. Increased independence means many of the folks who at the younger end of the ‘high risk’ age group still run all of their own errands, and therefore can’t simply stay home. They must find ways to safely leave their houses.
On the other side of the spectrum, many older adults rely on home health care. They face a new challenge: bringing in this necessary support into their homes while taking precautions to prevent virus transmission.
Another challenge: for some who suffer from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, this is a time of confusion and uncertainty. The stress of an abruptly changed routine – a stress we are all facing as we struggle adapt to our new environment – is amplified for many with memory problems. Family members in general are playing a big role in keeping “seniors” engaged, and should be seen as a critical stakeholder in this problem.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A key to supporting our senior population may be understanding how to keep caregiving staff safe and healthy. Our early interviews are highlighting the long working hours and limited attention paid to healthcare workers in assisted living. As we work to synthesize our interviews, we plan to continue ways to support and celebrate these unsung heroes.