Mobile Computing for the

Elderly and Disabled

Jade Rubick

jade@dgp

Table of Contents

Table of Figures

Abstract

Literature and research on mobile computing that is directed towards seniors is reviewed. The report will categorize the different forms of mobile computing that is targeted towards seniors, and recommend directions that future research can proceed. It will also review and categorize the special needs of seniors, so that future researchers can more effectively tailor devices to their needs. This report will not only list the types of devices that are targeted towards seniors, but it will also present the types of design issues that are crucial when designed mobile computing devices for seniors.

Introduction

Seniors are becoming a larger and larger percentage of our population, and their needs are going to gradually become more visible and compelling, economically and socially. Because present-generation seniors have different perceptions of computers and computing devices than generations that were brought up with computers, the need for ubiquitous computing devices may be more compelling than for other generations. In any case, their needs are often very different than different generations, and well-designed technology may be able to improve the lives of many seniors. Technology such as hearing aids has already become ubiquitous in the lives of many seniors, so it may be that it is not the technology, but the way that the technology is presented, that is the largest barrier to usage.

This project looks at senior's usage of computers, the differences in their perception of computers and interfaces, and examines what research has been done on mobile devices for seniors. It will examine common needs of seniors, and examines what solutions have been proposed for these needs. I anticipate the major needs that this project will cover will be memory, communication, and safety devices. In this report, I will refer to computer-aided memory devices as memory aids.

I also expect to examine how mobile computers can deal with interface problems such as poor eyesight, lack of a computer background, poor hearing, memory problems, physical strength limitations, and the like. Mobile computing is already testing the edges of interface design because of the severe limitations places upon it by size and weight. Designing mobile computers for the elderly will place additional constraints upon the designers. For example, using small fonts to compensate for a lack of screen real estate will not be a solution that will work for seniors. I plan to also investigate these issues, and look evaluate possible solutions to these interface problems.

Summary of Application Area

Description of relevant tasks and proposed usage

Summary of issues in mobile computing deemed relevant to your area

Recommendations for Research

Bibliography

"Special Needs Services: a First Overview" http://www.fen.bris.ac.uk/elec/UMPTIDUMPTI/DOCUMENTS/d12_v1.html. This web page details the issues for senior and disabled users of mobile phones and computing devices.

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research http://text.nlm.nih.gov/ftrs/ pick?collect=abcpr&dbName=0&t=872374413 Eighteen clinical practice guidelines are available from this US government agency site. Users can access full-text versions of the guidelines, quick reference versions, or patient guides in English or Spanish. *

American Geriatrics Society http://www.americangeriatrics.org/ The home page of this society has information on membership, faculty development opportunities, annual meeting information, professional publications, and a patient education forum (with questions and answers).*

Anonymous. (1996, March 7). Computers: Who Buys Them? (Market For Personal Computer Grows in the US And Russia) Moscow News, 9: 9. "A survey conducted by the SeniorNet, which teaches computer literacy to elders, reveals that ownership of a computer in the 55-74 age group has grown by 43% in 16 months from July 1994 to 1995. The finding goes against the established notion that elderly people ignore technological advancements."

Baran, Nick. (1996, March). Get Smart - Wear a PC. Byte, 3: 36. Has some information for visually impaired applications.

Brandenburg, Sara and Gregg Vanderheiden. (year unknown). "Communication, Control, and Computer Access for Disabled and Elderly Individuals". The book is ten years old, and probably doesn't have any information on mobile devices, but may be useful nonetheless.

Dickerson, John F. (1995, Spring) Never Too Old; Millions of Senior Citizens are Getting Connected to the Net. Time, 12: 41. Abstract: "Millions of senior citizens are using computers, networks and online services. Computer classes for seniors are springing up across the US. Seniors communicate with each other and make lasting friendships on forums such as SeniorNet on America Online."

Encyclopedia Brittanica had some information on memory and aging that I thought was useful. For example: http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=macro/5004/57/184.html and http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/537/30.html.

Essex, David. (1995, June). Rewriting Handwriting Recognition. Byte, 6: 150-151. Overview of research and design issues for handwriting recognition.

Flynn, Mary Kathleen. (1996, June 10). Plugged-in Seniors (Seniors on the Internet). U.S. News & World Report, 23: 94-5. "Some 20 percent of households headed by people age 60 or older owned a PC by the end of last year--a jump of 31 percent in a year, says Computer Intelligence, a market-research firm in La Jolla, Calif. They're using PCs to make friends, research concerns from Alzheimer's disease to estate planning, run home businesses and E-mail distant relatives for the price of a local call."

Gerontological Society of America http://www.geron.org/ Contains links to publications (journals and newsletters) sponsored by the society and more.

Lansdale, M. and Edmonds, E. (1992), Using Memory for Events in the Design of Personal Filing Systems, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies. 36: 97-126.

Loftus, E.F. and Marburger, W. (1983). Since the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, Has Anyone Beaten You Up? Improving The Accuracy Of Retrospective Reports With Landmark Events. Memory and Cognition, 11: 114-120. Elizabeth Loftus has many articles based on peoples ability to accurately recall previous events. These may be useful for understanding memory better for memory prosthetics.

McGuire, Francia A. (year unknown). Computer Technology and the Aged. This is not a current book, but may be useful.

Memory http://alethea.ukc.ac.uk/Dept/Computing/Seminars/postgrad/951214

NACDA Data Archive http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACDA/archive.html The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging, maintained by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is a database searchable by topic or researcher. Data on demographics, social characteristics, economics, psychological characteristics, and health care needs of older adults in the United States are available. Results are displayed in an abstract format, but users can also view the actual data sets. *

National Institute on Aging http://www.nih.gov/nia/ On this site maintained by the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health, users can read about research and funding opportunities. One section offers news releases about issues pertaining to aging research. The Health Information section features several online publications and pamphlets for professionals and patients. Topics covered include Alzheimer disease, menopause, cardiovascular disease, and urinary incontinence. *

Noer, Michael. (1995, September 25). Senior Cybernauts (Internet Access Benefits for Elderly). Forbes, 7: 240-241. Says: "elderly users [are] at 1% of the Internet population, but computer use in that population segment has grown an estimated 15% annually since 1990." Also, a study showed that elderly users who were given access to computers and the Internet were less depressed after six months.

Novack, Janet. (1995, January 16). Making the golden years golden. (technology and elderly independence). Forbes, 2: 98. Discusses many areas in which technology has helped elderly people, and areas where it may in the future. "Duke University demographer Kenneth Manton and associates analyzed three national surveys done from 1982 to 1989. They found that in 1989, 22.6% of the elderly in the survey needed either devices or other folks to help them with the basics."

Peters, Richard, and Robert Sikorski. (1997, October 22). Vintage care: geriatrics resources on the Net. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 16: 1299-1300. "People 65 years of age and older already constitute an estimated 5% of Internet users, and their numbers are expected to grow quickly. (footnote: Cortese AA. Census in cyberspace. Business Week. May 5, 1997:84.)"

Post, Joyce A. (1997, February). Internet Resources on Aging: Increasing Options and Human Factors. The Gerontologist, 1: 125-129. May have human factors information, but may also just be a coincidence.

Rule, Jane. (year unknown). Memory Board. Apparently, this book talks about how a senior used a "memory board" to maintain her relationship with her grandchildren. It is fiction.

Seniors Computer Information Project. (1998). http://www.crm.mb.ca/scip/ This website has web conversations and services for seniors. It is interesting not only for the information there, but it shows what is drawing seniors' interest.

Van Hees, Maartje M.W. (1996, Fall). User Instructions for the Elderly: What the Literature Tells Us. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. 4: 521-536. Contains an investigation of the gerontological research literature to find out what is already known about age deficiencies in cognitive processes which might adversely influence instructional text processing. Offers some guidelines on how to design manuals for the elderly.

Waldrop, M. Mitchel (1985), Machinations of Thought, Science, 85: 38-45. This article was recommended to me.

Yarnold, Paul R., Michael J. Stewart, F. Conrad Stille and Gary J. Martin. (1996, April). Assessing functional status of elderly adults via microcomputer. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2: 689-690. Tested six different forms of computer-based interactive methods on adults 65 years or older. Touchscreen input required the least training, was rated most useful, and had the lowest completion time.

Expected Results/Contributions

I expect that this project will lead to the following contributions:

* recommendations and categorizations of the types of problems that seniors face with mobile computing devices. This will be helpful because it will give future designers an understanding of the issues that they're facing.

* description of where the research is directed. This will provide a road map of where the technology and design focus is going, and identify areas that could be fruitful for future research.

* description of likely applications for seniors that would be useful and successful, given the limitations and possibilities of mobile computing devices.

Challenges and Concerns

This project is challenging because it may be fairly new. Although this is an issue many companies may be looking at, their research is not publicly available. My very cursory research over this last weekend did not reveal very many sources of information on the topic. However, I believe the information is available somewhere, but just hard to locate. Thus, my first challenge will be to locate useful information on this topic. I anticipate there will be a fair amount of information on seniors and computers, but little on mobile computing for seniors.

Another challenge I anticipate is my review of the literature on memory. I believe it is important to study how memory works, and to understand Alzheimer's Disease so that I can assess memory aids and the needs of seniors more effectively. However, this is a well-developed field of psychology, and, in this case, the amount of information is too abundant. I will need to locate some excellent sources that are also understandable to someone without a degree in psychology. I will have to be efficient in my overview of this section, so that it doesn't consume too much of my energy, because it's not my main focus of this report.

A third problem I am facing is the definition of the topic. I see two topics here: memory prosthetics and designing mobile computing devices for the elderly and disabled. I think I will concentrate on the second, but also look at memory prosthetics as they apply to elderly and disabled people.