Abstracts
Abstract
Digital health and social care innovations for older people embody specific ideas about “good ageing.” But what does good ageing mean to older adults themselves? And how do their ideas and practices relate to the ideas of good ageing that have informed the design of those digital tools that they are invited to engage with? Our research comic explores these questions by drawing on eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in three innovation initiatives that trial and implement health and social care innovations for older people in Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Presenting our research in the format of a research comic is an explicit attempt at sharing everyday experiences of ageing and technology with a broader audience including researchers but also older adults, city and community councils, social workers, and technology developers with whom we collaborated in the field. The drawings, fieldwork quotes, and accompanying reflections illustrate the diverse and sometimes conflicting forms of good ageing that shape users’ engagement with proposed technologies. As such, the research comic invites the reader to question dominant perceptions of technologies as simple tools that facilitate good ageing. It highlights the importance and value of geographical, cultural, and affective closeness to the everyday lives of those for and with whom these technologies are designed. Such closeness, we argue, is a first step in being able to notice conflicts between different forms of good ageing and to adjust digital tools and services in such a way that they facilitate forms of good ageing that older adults themselves find relevant.
Keywords:
- research comic,
- good ageing,
- digital innovations,
- ethnography,
- the arts of noticing
Resumen
En el campo de la atención social y sanitaria a las personas mayores, las innovaciones digitalesincorporan ideas específicas sobre el “buen envejecimiento.” Pero, ¿qué significa “envejecer bien”para las personas mayores? ¿Y cómo se relacionan sus ideas y prácticas con las ideas de “buenenvejecimiento” que inspiran las herramientas digitales con las que interactúan? Este cómic deinvestigación explora estas cuestiones a partir del estudio, durante 8 meses, de tres proyectosde innovación social y sanitaria dirigidos a personas mayores en Italia, España y Reino Unido.
Presentar nuestra investigación en forma de cómic de investigación es un intento explícito decompartir las experiencias cotidianas del envejecimiento y la tecnología con un público más amplio,que incluya a investigadores, pero también personas mayores, ayuntamientos y comunidades,trabajadores sociales y desarrolladores tecnológicos con los que colaboramos. Las imágenesasí como los extractos del trabajo de campo y las reflexiones que las acompañan, ilustran lasdiversas, y a veces contradictorias, formas de envejecer bien que configuran los usos que hacenlos usuarios de las tecnologías propuestas. Como tal, el cómic de investigación invita al lector acuestionar la percepción dominante de las tecnologías como simples herramientas que facilitanun buen envejecimiento. Destaca la importancia y el valor que tiene la proximidad geográfica,cultural y afectiva a la vida cotidiana de las personas mayores en el diseño de las tecnologías.Dicha cercanía, argumentamos, es un primer paso para poder advertir conflictos entre diferentesformas de buen envejecimiento y ajustar las herramientas y servicios digitales de tal maneraque faciliten otras maneras de envejecer bien que las personas mayores consideren relevantes.
Palabras clave:
- investigación cómica,
- buen envejecimiento,
- innovaciones digitales,
- etnografía,
- las artes de notar
Riassunto
Le innovazioni digitali per la salute e l’assistenza sociale rivolte agli anziani incarnano ideespecifiche di “buon invecchiamento.” Ma, secondo gli anziani stessi, cosa significa invecchiarebene? E come si relazionano le loro idee e le loro abitudini con quelle di buon invecchiamentoche hanno ispirato l’architettura degli strumenti digitali con cui sono invitati a interagire? Ilnostro fumetto di ricerca esplora queste domande, basandosi su otto mesi di ricerca etnograficaapplicata a tre iniziative di innovazione che sperimentano e implementano soluzioni per la salutee l’assistenza sociale per gli anziani in Italia, Spagna e Regno Unito.
Presentare la nostra ricerca in formato di fumetto rappresenta un tentativo esplicito dicondividere le esperienze quotidiane dell’invecchiamento e della tecnologia con un pubblico piùampio, composto da ricercatori, ma anche da anziani, consigli comunali e comunitari, assistentisociali e gli sviluppatori delle tecnologie con cui abbiamo collaborato sul campo. I disegni, lecitazioni raccolte sul campo, e le riflessioni che li accompagnano illustrano le diverse, e talvoltacontrastanti, forme di buon invecchiamento che influenzano le interazioni degli utenti con letecnologie proposte. In questo modo, questo fumetto di ricerca invita il lettore a mettere indiscussione la percezione dominante delle tecnologie come strumenti semplici che facilitano ilbuon invecchiamento. Il fumetto evidenzia l’importanza e il valore della vicinanza geografica,culturale e affettiva alle vite quotidiane di coloro per i quali e con i quali queste tecnologie sonoprogettate. Sosteniamo che questa vicinanza rappresenti un primo passo per essere in grado dinotare conflitti tra le diverse forme di buon invecchiamento, e per adeguare strumenti e servizidigitali in modo che facilitino forme di buon invecchiamento che siano ritenute rilevanti daglianziani stessi.
Parole chiave:
- fumetto di ricerca,
- buon invecchiamento,
- innovazioni digitali,
- etnografia,
- le artidel notare
Appendices
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