DOI: 10.5064/f6pkm9xp
title: Data for: Older adults’ use of a research-based web platform for social interaction

description: &lt;p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Project Overview&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Loneliness and social isolation are triggers for unfavorable changes in older adults’ health and well-being. Their negative effects can be mitigated by information and communication technology (ICT). However, ICT needs to be customized to the specific needs and conditions of older adults. The aim of this study was to explore older adults’ use of a new web platform for social interaction from the perspectives of direct users, researchers, and social services personnel. The study was an intervention study with a multi-method approach in which 20 older adults used the web platform for social interaction “the Fik@ room” (Fik@rummet in Swedish) for eight weeks.&lt;/p&gt; 

&lt;p&gt;The Fik@ room is a web platform for older adults’ social interaction adapted for tablets, developed by researchers and co-designed with older adults, municipal social services personnel, and an IT company. The Fik@ room consisted of digital coffee tables, where limitless numbers of tables could be created, with seating for up to four persons per table. The conversations included either video, voice, or chat conversations about topics of the older adults’ own choice. The Fik@ room also included a bulletin board where older adults could post messages and schedule meetings in the Fik@ room or at a physical location. &lt;/p&gt; 

&lt;p&gt;Quantitative and qualitative data were collected pretest, during the test, and posttest. The Fik@ room met the expectations of those older adults who completed the study. It enabled them to expand their social network and develop new friendships, but their experiences of loneliness were not reduced. The involvement of social services personnel in recruitment and support was important in facilitating older adults’ use of the Fik@ room. This study contributes knowledge about a new, co-designed and research-based web platform, customized specifically for older adults, which is valuable in guiding the design and delivery of future web platforms for social interaction among older adults.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Data Collection Overview&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The study was conducted in the mid-east of Sweden in two different urban municipalities. The participants included older adults and social services personnel. The inclusion criteria for the older adults were (a) age 60+, (b) experience of loneliness and wishes for increased social interaction/engagement, and (c) living within, or adjacent to, the geographical area of the two respective municipalities. The exclusion criteria for the older adults were (a) having moderate or severe cognitive impairment, and (b) not understanding or speaking the Swedish language.
In total, 66 older adults started participation in the study, and 20 completed the study. In total, 15 social services personnel recruited and supported the older adults during the intervention, together with home-care personnel. Nine social services personnel participated in the post-test workshops.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Quantitative and qualitative data were collected pre-, during and post-test. The older adults’ self-reported experiences of loneliness and social networks were collected pre- and post-test. Their patterns of use and experiences of the support and information provided during the study, navigation, and use of the Fik@ room’s functions were collected post-test. Researchers’ and social services personnel’s notes on older adults’ needs for support were collected during the study. Social services personnel’s experiences of older adults’ use of, and their incentives to participate in, the Fik@ room were collected post-test.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Three workshops (two in Municipality A and one in Municipality B) were held with 3–6 social services personnel in each group in August and September 2021. For practical and pandemic-related reasons, all workshops were conducted digitally via an established video meeting tool. Each workshop lasted two hours and was digitally video recorded. Participation was voluntary, and all informants gave their verbal consent after receiving both verbal and written information. The workshops were moderated by two of the authors with prior experience as moderators of workshops.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;Selection and Organization of Shared Data&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
Documentation files include the consent forms for the study, as well as the questionnaires used with the older adult participants (original ones in Swedish and copies translated in English). The data files (all in Swedish) include the older adults’ responses to the questionnaires and the workshop transcripts with the social service personnel – two for municipality A and one for municipality B, respectively.
description: General information about the the Fik@ room platform (in Swedish) can be viewed here.