Supporting Seniors in Independent and Healthy Ageing through ICT: Insights from a Value-Focused Thinking Study in Latvia, Poland and Sweden

Abstract

The 2019 WHO symposium on the future of digital health systems emphasized the importance of putting the individuals at the center of their own health and well-being. Consequently, strategies for active and healthy ageing should comply with older people's needs and requirements. In this paper, we applied the value-focused thinking approach to investigate the values held by seniors in Latvia, Poland and Sweden in the context of implementation of ICT for active and healthy ageing. Based on interviews with seniors, thirteen value-based objectives were identified and compared with domains of Active Ageing Index (AAI), a country-level measure of healthy and active ageing. The main findings imply that ICT is an important means of attaining the higher level of the AAI. To this end, taking into consideration value-based objectives held by seniors appears a necessary condition. Further, the results suggest that AAI index should be adjusted to the needs of seniors.

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“…Following VFT, we started the process of identifying value-based objectives by conducting interviews with the concerned people. In so doing we conducted in-depth interviews with 15 seniors in each of the studied countries (Soja et al, 2021). As indicated in a review by Peek et al (2014), the median number of senior respondents interviewed during indepth interviews in prior studies investigating the use of technology for ageing in place was 15.…”

“…The process ended when all the researchers agreed that the categories were stable and an additional iteration did not bring any additional changes. The first two steps of the VFT approach were initially performed in our prior study conducted in Poland, Sweden and Latvia (Soja et al, 2021). These steps were re-iterated and the data were analyzed in greater detail in the current study in order to achieve a better categorization of sub-objectives and prepare input data for the next step of the analysis.…”