Please note: This PhD seminar will take place online.
Nabil Bin Hannan, PhD candidate
David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
Supervisor: Professor Edith Law
Our research explores how older adults maintained their independence during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on perceptions of older adults and their caregivers and the role technology played in supporting independence. We conducted a two-part study with online surveys (n=53 & 50) followed by semi-structured interviews (n=30 & 15) with older adults and adult child caregivers, to characterize how technology is accommodated in daily activities by older adults during the pandemic for maintaining both physical and social independence. Our findings are contextualized in a proposed framework of older adults’ independence needs modeled after Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which can be used to guide the design of systems for supporting independent living. In addition, we share insights about the tensions between caregivers’ safety-related concerns and older adults’ desires for independence and the design implications of these tensions.