The Educational Potential of Technologies for Older People

Reflections on the Well-being

Anelise Jantsch

, Simone C. O. Conceição

and José Valdeni de Lima

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Paulo Gama,

110 - prédio 12105 - 3º andar sala 332, 90040-060, Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil

Faculty of Education, University Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Enderis Hall 623, 5320-0413, Milwaukee (WI), U.S.A.

Keywords: Health Education, Active Ageing, ICT, Elderly.

Abstract: Worldwide life expectancy has increased over the last century. In Brazil the population over 60 years was

approximately 10% in 2009, and it is expected to increase to 29% in 2050. This increase in life expectancy

leads us to consider strategies that can assist in maintaining the quality of life during the ageing process.

One strategy that must be considered is the health education to the elderly, so we construct a web

application – Active Ageing TV – that is based on the reports of World Health Organization, and on the use

of gerontology education to facilitate the learning process, and on the use of techniques to design according

to specific characteristics of older audience. To validate our application, a survey was conducted with

seniors who participated in a course of digital inclusion in Brazil, during 2009 to 2013. We used “Profile of

Individual Life Style" instrument to evaluate the lifestyle perceived by the participants. Our findings

indicate that seniors are looking for a preventive behavior, but information is necessary to assist them to

make right decisions for a healthy lifestyle.

1 INTRODUCTION

Worldwide life expectancy has increased over the

last century. In Brazil the population over 60 years

was approximately 10% in 2009, and it is expected

to increase to 29% in 2050 (IBGE, 2013). This

increase in life expectancy leads us to consider

strategies that can assist in maintaining the quality of

life during the ageing process (Veras, 2012).

Human ageing is a universal, progressive, and

gradual process. This process is different for each

individual. There are a variety of factors that affect

this process: genetics, biology, social factors,

environment, psychology, and culture (WHO, 2002).

Gerontology is “the scientific study of old age” and

consists of the integration of conceptual linkages

across the biological, psychological, and social

processes of aging (Alkema and Alley, 2006).

In Brazil, gerontology is still considered a new

science (Valadares et al., 2013), and is concerned

with the implementation of actions aimed at

improving the quality of life of those who are ageing

to ensure autonomy and independence. In turn,

educational gerontology refers to the use of a

teaching method to facilitate learning in older adults

through the exploration of the potential of this age

group (Ala-Mutka et al., 2008; Ianculescu and

Parvan, 2011; Kececi and Bulduk, 2012). In this

sense, continuing education requires a combination

of opportunities to encourage the promotion and the

maintenance of quality of life for the elderly.

According to the Ministry of Social Welfare and

Assistance in Brazil, "Ageing is a normal and

dynamic process, and it is not a disease. While

ageing is an inevitable and irreversible process,

chronic and disabling conditions that are often

observed with advancing age can be prevented or

delayed, not only by medical interventions, but also

interventions in social, economic, and environmental

aspects" (Brasil, 1996, p. 1).

The term "active ageing" was adopted by the

World Health Organization in 1990, and it is based

on the recognition of human rights of older people

and in the United Nations Principles of

independence, participation, dignity, care, and

personal fulfillment (WHO, 2002). The broad

concept of quality of life points to the need to

consider the aspects valued by the elderly related to

overall well-being such as health, life satisfaction,

and psychological well-being within the social and

539

Jantsch A., Conceição S. and de Lima J..

The Educational Potential of Technologies for Older People - Reﬂections on the Well-being.

DOI: 10.5220/0004959605390544

In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU-2014), pages 539-544

ISBN: 978-989-758-020-8

 2014 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

physical environment in which they live. Therefore,

it is important to encourage a healthy lifestyle

through a balanced diet, regular exercise, social

interaction, enjoyable occupational activity, and

mechanisms to mitigate the stress and avoiding

smoking, alcoholism, and self-medication.

Self-care should be seen as the creation of new

opportunities to respond to life in a safe and healthy

way. For this reason, the issues addressed in

educational activities must involve more than

diseases and risk factors. Ageing, sexuality, leisure,

family relationship, and social rights of the elderly,

as well as numerous other factors that illustrate the

needs and interests of the older population, are

dimensions of life that must be considered to

promote self-care (Sousa and Assis, 2012). The

behavioral change to a healthy lifestyle is a key

ingredient to encourage active ageing.

This paper is organized as follows: section 2

shows the literature review on health education;

section 3 presents the Active Ageing TV application;

section 4 the methodology used to test the

comprehension about the content of Active Ageing

TV is explained; and in section 5 are presented the

concluding remarks.

2 HEALTH EDUCATION

Brazilians are living longer and this means that the

Brazilian society needs to promote programs for the

prevention and maintenance of health for the elderly.

Because the promotion of such programs has not

occurred, the ageing process of the Brazilian

population is now largely characterized by the

progressive accumulation of losses of functionality

in activities of daily living (Veras, 2012). The trend

is evident in the growing number of seniors who are

functionally disabled and have poor health. The

most common problems in elderly people are

Alzheimer's disease, depression, osteoporosis, and

falls. These problems show the need for an emphasis

on health promotion and prevention of frailties

(WHO, 2002).

According to Kececi and Bulduk: “the main

objective of health education is to provide

individuals and society with assistance so that they

can lead a healthy life through their own efforts and

actions. Therefore, health education supports and

develops all kinds of individual learning processes.

Similarly, it makes changes in the beliefs and value

systems of individuals, their attitudes and skill

levels; in other words, it changes their lifestyles”

(Kececi and Bulduk, 2012, p.160).

The World Health Organization suggests that

early education in life combined with opportunities

for lifelong learning can help people to develop

skills and confidence to adapt and maintain

independence as they grow older. Learning is

necessary to improve understanding (for instance,

learning related to health issues) and to enhance

capabilities for practical tasks (learning to use new

tools like online banking or how to use assistive

technologies to compensate for lack of

functionality), and learn new activities.

The motivation to learn for elderly people

depends strongly on the purpose of the learning

outcomes, and also in how much they consider

themselves able to achieve these results (self-

efficacy). The commitment to meaningful activities

for the elderly contributes to good health and

satisfaction with life and longevity (Ala-Mutka et.

al., 2008; Kececi and Bulduk, 2012; Ianculescu &

Parvan, 2011; Serbim et. al., 2012). The success of

health promotion can be evaluated by measuring to

what extent the intended objectives can be achieved

by target audience.

3 ACTIVE AGEING TV

We build a web application based on the WHO

Active Ageing reports (WHO, 2002), conventions

established by the field of educational gerontology

(Alkema and Alley, 2006), and the use of style

guides for interactive Digital TV for the elderly

(Rice and Alm, 2008). The platform selected for this

version of Active Ageing TV (Figure 1) is web

based. Today smartphones, tablets, connected

televisions and computers are all web receivers,

which allow a greater range of choice by seniors.

Figure 1: Active Ageing TV (Envelhecimento Ativo TV)

avaiable at http://envelhecimentoativotv.weebly.com.

Active Ageing TV focuses on information about

active ageing and activities recommended for the

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540

elderly. Videos were used with content that includes

physical exercises and strategies that guide seniors

to make changes at home to meet their safety needs.

Information about social networks and senior

communities are also provided to give social

opportunities for the elderly.

Active Ageing TV aims to inform and to provide

resources in a variety of methods on how to maintain

independence and quality of life during the ageing

process, or, in other words to promote self-care to

the elderly. So, to achieve this purpose the videos

used were about the behavioral determinants defined

by WHO (WHO, 2002) like:

• Physical activity – regular practice of moderate

physical activity is essential for good health and to

preserve independence of the elderly, helping

reduce the risk of falls and related injuries (Figure

2).

Figure 2: Physical activity (Atividade física).

• Healthy diet – the maintenance of a balanced diet

rich in calcium can reduce the risk of injury in the

elderly (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Healthy diet (Alimentação saudável).

• Use of medications – the elderly tends to consume

greater number of medications than younger

people. As they age, people develop different

mechanisms for the absorption and the metabolism

of medications. If the elderly do not take their

medications as prescribed by physicians, their risk

of falls and side effects may be affected in

different ways (Figure 4).

• Risky behavior – the choices that people make and

the actions carried out can increase their chances

of falling, for example, to climb ladders, to wear

ill-fitting shoes, to bend over to perform everyday

tasks, to run without being aware of the

environment, or to avoid using artifacts to support

mobility such as canes or walkers (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Stay tuned (Fique atento (a)).

• Social interaction – incentive to stimulate social

interaction and conduct occupational activity as an

enjoyable way to relieve stress and prevent

depression and isolation (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Social interaction (Convívio social).

• Harmful habits – clarification about the

consequences of harmful habits like smoking,

alcoholism, and self-medication (Figures 2, 3, 4,

5).

In the Active Ageing TV application the user can

access four modules: healthy diet (Figure 3),

physical activity (Figure 2), social interaction

(Figure 5) and stay tuned (figure 4). Each module

has four videos extract by Youtube about the

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541

proposed content, and a section “Know More” that

consists of a list of sites with more information

about the subject of study, and a section “Interactive

Test” that is a form to collect data about the user

behavior on that aspect.

The videos used were selected from the

reliability of its producers, such as universities,

government or broadcast TV programs with affairs

on health and wellness. One of the criteria was that

the protagonists of the videos would be the elderly,

and that the videos used were of short duration to

allow a discussion on the subject after its display.

This strategy makes a personal call to the elderly to

participate actively and think about their behavior in

health maintenance.

4 METHODOLOGY

We used qualitative and quantitative research

methods focusing on the behavioral determinants

adopted by elderly and its influence in their quality

of life. The 12 seniors surveyed were 60 years or

older and attended a course designed for digital

inclusion at the Federal University of Rio Grande do

Sul, Brazil between 2009 and 2012. We proposed a

Quality of Life course during four weeks in

November to December of 2013.

The seniors that have participated of our research

have an age average of 68 years. The group

encountered two times a week to study and discuss

about modules of Active Ageing TV. Each elderly

assisted the proposed videos individually and, after

that, all participants were invited to explain and

discuss with the whole group about what they

learned, what they already do to achieve a healthy

lifestyle and the strategies they used to do that. The

researcher assumed the role of mediator in this

educational practice, and it was created a

participative environment in which everyone felt

comfortable to show his/her ideas (Serbim et. al.,

2012; Sousa and Assis, 2012).

After watching all modules, each subject was

seen separately one per week, seniors were asked to

reflect on their lifestyle. For this we used two

instruments: (1) the "Profile of Individual Life

Style" instrument (Both et. al., 2008) and (2) an

individual semi-structured interview based on the

behavioral determinants of active ageing (WHO,

2002).

The Profile of Individual Life Style

Questionnaire (Both et. al., 2008) known as "The

Pentacle of Well-Being", with a conceptual basis for

evaluating the lifestyle of individuals or groups. This

instrument consists of 15 questions, divided into the

following factors: nutrition (factor 1), physical

activity (factor 3), preventive behavior (factor 4),

social relationships (factor 5) and stress management

(factor 2), without regard to socio-economic factors,

genetic heritage, political beliefs and other factors

that may influence the results.

Of course the ideal would be that all items were

completed at maximum level (corresponding to 3

points on the scale). Scores in levels zero (0) and

one (1) indicate that the individual must be guided

and helped to change his/her behavior in the items

assessed, since they pose risks to his/her health. The

general idea is to allow the person to identify

positive and negative aspects in his lifestyle, getting

information and opportunities to make decisions that

can lead to a life with more quality.

In our research we applied the instrument

individually and the senior received a copy of

his/her responses to check what points he/she is

doing well and the points he/she has to make efforts

to get better results. The meanings of the responses

are as follows: [0] never, [1] sometimes [2] often

and [3] always. The results indicate that diet and

physical activity should be improved. Like most of

group is living alone (8) or has a problem of

movement (4) or sedentary lifestyle. It demonstrates

the difficulty in maintaining a varied diet or frequent

physical activity.

Table 1: Factor 1 (Nutrition).

[3] [2] [1] [0]

a. Your daily diet

includes at least 5

portions of fruit and

vegetables

31% 23% 31% 15%

b. You avoid eating

greasy foods (fatty

meats, fried foods)

and candies.

8% 46% 46% 0%

c. You do 4 to 5

different meals a day,

including full

breakfast.

31% 15% 39% 15%

Table 1 shows that 31% of group has 5 portions of

fruit and vegetables in their daily diet. On the other

hand, 46% sometimes avoid eating greasy foods and

candies, and 8% always avoid this kind of food.

Another factor that must be improved is the number

of meals a day, 39% sometimes do 4 to 5 meals, and

15% never do that. These outcomes were reinforced

with the speech of one senior: “with the video I will

try to insert more vegetables at meals; as I have

reflux, I'm adapting my diet and I have already

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noticed better results; I started walking with a water

bottle in my purse... ”.

Senior’s speeches often lead to this: “You think

you know a lot, and maybe you know, but you do not

practice; things we already know but it's always

great to reinforce them; the elderly has resistance,

he/she is more stubborn, but if explain the change

and its benefits he/she can start to improve”.

Table 2: Factor 3 (Levels of Physical Activity).

[3] [2] [1] [0]

d. You realize at least

30 minutes of

moderate to intense

physical activity,

continuously or

cumulatively, 5 or

more days a week.

15% 31% 39% 15%

e. At least twice a

week you perform

exercises that involve

muscle strength and

stretching.

23% 46% 23% 8%

f. In your day by day,

you walk or you pedal

for transportation and

preferably use the

stairs instead of the

elevator.

15% 23% 54% 8%

In Table 2 we can see that although the elderly

group performs physical activities, they do not do it

in the frequency of five or more days per week. But,

23% perform exercises that involve muscle strength

and stretching twice a week. And, we can see that

sedentary lifestyle is represented in 54% of

individuals that sometimes use to walk or to pedal

for transportation, and prefer the elevator instead of

the stairs. After looking at the results a senior said:

"I'll promise to myself to start walking, because

when I doing exercises I felt good and I did not need

to take medicine for cholesterol that I need today".

Table 3 shows that the group has a preventive

behavior. They know their blood pressure, their

cholesterol levels and they are looking to control

them. But if the elderly look for to have a healthy

diet and better levels of physical practices, their

outcomes must be better. And Table 3 show too that

the group don’t smoke and drink alcohol with

moderation, and they use seatbelt and never drink

alcohol when they are driving.

Regarding to preventive behavior an elderly said:

“videos gave many tips on mobile, the height of the

bed, etc., there are things that I already do, but I

learned a lot, how to protect wires, take off rugs,

things that can cause accidents. As I live alone I

need to take care of myself".

Table 3: Factor 4 (Preventive Behavior).

[3] [2] [1] [0]

g. You know your

blood pressure, your

cholesterol levels and

you are looking to

control them.

46% 54% 0% 0%

h. You do not smoke

and you drink alcohol

in moderation (less

than 2 daily doses).

76,9% 7,7%

7,7

i. You always wear

your seatbelt and if

you drive, you respect

traffic regulations,

and you never ingest

alcohol when driving.

85% 15% 0% 0%

In Table 4 we can see that seniors have an active

participation in social life with family, friends and

community service.

Table 4: Factor 5 (Quality of Relationships).

[3] [2] [1] [0]

j. You find yourself

surrounded by friends

and you are satisfied

with your

relationships.

77% 23% 0% 0%

k. Your leisure

includes meetings with

friends, group sports

activities, participation

in associations.

85% 15% 0% 0%

l. You try to be active

in your community

and you feel useful in

your social

environment.

67% 25% 0% 8%

Table 5 presents that they reserve at least five

minutes to relax by day (69%). And in the most

cases they can hold a discussion without change

their mood, even when they are contradicted (54%).

But, on the item of the balance between work and

leisure we can see that the group has some

difficulties to do that. Perhaps due to their creation

that has always prioritized the work and effort in

place of leisure.

Regarding the use of videos as course material, a

senior said: “Is interesting because you see the

video, you can assimilate the teachings more. I get

more attentive than if I have to read... I have history

of falls and the information of the videos was very

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543

useful... I started to decrease the sugar and salt in

meals, and I started buying more fruit”.

Table 5: Factor 2 (Stress Management).

[3] [2] [1] [0]

m. You take time (at

least 5 minutes) every

day to relax.

69% 23% 8% 0%

n. You hold a

discussion without

changing your mood,

even you are

contradicted.

15% 54% 31% 0%

o. You balance the

time devoted to work

with the time devoted

to leisure.

15% 39% 46% 0%

The data considered here show a positive influence

that Active Ageing TV application performs in

quality of life and adoption of a healthy lifestyle by

seniors.

5 CONCLUSIONS

This paper presented a web application to help to

promote active ageing and adoption of behaviors by

the elderly that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Our

project was submitted to the Ethics Committee in

Research of the Federal University of Rio Grande do

Sul and was approved in accordance with the report

number 137.267 in 2012.

Active Ageing TV application differs from

others by using the educational approach as a

strategy to inform and to educate the elderly,

therefore encouraging them to become responsible

for maintaining their own health throughout life.

This is based on the concept of active ageing, as

defined by WHO reports. Our intention is to

disseminate the behavior determinants of active

aging policy to help seniors to maintain their

autonomy, independence, quality of life, and a

healthy life expectancy. Our contribution focuses on

the development of an application that seeks to

encourage the adoption of guidelines for active

ageing from the user perspective by promoting

greater awareness of the importance of certain

activities and lifestyle to improve the quality of life.

In fact, the lifestyle is one of the most important

factors for maintaining health as well as to promote

the extension of longevity of the population.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Jantsch A. is grateful to CAPES and CNPq for

scholarship and financial support, as well she is

grateful to seniors who participated in this research.

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