The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Exploring the acceptability ofhigh-tech tools for enablingsocial interaction in a crosscultural context: methodologicalconsiderations
Sanmei Chen, Kiyoaki Matsumoto, Clare Thetford, Dulce Rodrigues

2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Outline• Why this area?
• Scope• Potential Impact• Partnership with industry, government, voluntary organization• Proposed methodologies• Considerations• Plan after the workshop

2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging SocietyWhy this area?
Aging society↓

Increasing demands for careｒｓ
We don’t know if high tech tools are↓acceptable to promote social interaction
Lack of social interaction
in different social contexts↓
Reduced well-being and quality of life
→Technological response Development of interactive robots
2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Scope• Acceptability of use of high-tech tools, e.g., Paro, and how it is beingused• Aged 65+• With and without dementia• In a variety of care setting• In UK and Japan

2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Potential impact• To inform social care provision policy and practice• Old people, care service providers and families (acceptable, affordable,effective?)• Industry:- identification of potential users→inform development of future technologies→diffusion of high-tech for social interaction in the community- potentially engaging wider industry in care provision• UK and Japan learning from each other’s experience
2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Partnership with industry, government, academics• Industry (e.g. robotcompany, nursinghome)• Government• Academics (healtheconomists)

2017/1/19

Research fundProvision of data(sales, marketresearch)
Facilitate theresearch using
their connections

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Proposed methodologies: mixed method• Qualitative methods: non-participant observation, semi-structuralinterview- service users (older people)- family member- service providers• Quantitative methods: questionnaire survey, case-control observational
study, randomized clinical tries- older people (including existing users)- attitude and knowledge about high-tech tools, potential associated factors(e.g. SES, socio-demography, religious belief, care burden)- health economics analysis/effectiveness-cost assessment
2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging SocietyConsiderations• Lack of existing evidence• Interdisciplinary evidence base
• Interdisciplinary collaboration• Culture difference in working practice• Language and communication• Distance and time zones• Ethics (e.g. use of incentives to participants, approval of protocol from thelocal ethical board)• Acceptability of research methods (e.g. use of video recording)• Cost: more expensive, travel/ interprets, time, translation
2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

Plan after workshop• Write peer-review journal article• Supportive remote international collaboration• Innovative and challenging!
↓*Review existing literature*Identify further future collaboration*Review progress in Liverpool

2017/1/19

The 2015 RENKEI Interdisciplinary Workshop on Living with an Aging Society

2017/1/19