Briede Westermeyer, Juan Carlos

Mobile phones have caused diverging opinions regarding the change in communication patterns and the isolation among young people. However, in the case of the elderly, there are positive effects related to their use, their social activity, and their environmental awareness. This study connects these three variables beginning with the mobile telephone use by the elderly. A sample of 399 self-reliant elderly people was interviewed in Chile, where 159 had mobile phones. They answered the Usefulness, Satisfaction and Ease of Use Questionnaire (USE) and a series of questions about the environment and social life developed from previous studies. The results were analyzed using a multiple correspondence and correlation analysis. A high correlation between the three variables was found. Hence, a higher usability of mobile phones was associated with higher social activity and a higher environmental concern. These results showed that a design approach for the elderly could increase satisfaction regarding the use of a product and, as a result, improve communication with their social setting. From an environmental point of view, an indirect relationship was seen between the selection, use, and expectations of the end of life of the products.

There are two types of occupants in nursing homes: older adults and caregivers. Because the former has different physiological qualities, they are more sensitive to high and low temperatures, presenting discrepancies with caregivers regarding thermal sensation. The objective of this exploratory research was to determine to what extent the range of thermal comfort differed between older adults and caregivers in three nursing homes in Gran Concepción. Indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity were monitored during winter and spring. Simultaneously, a thermal sensation and preference survey was applied while clothing insulation, metabolic rate, and adaptive responses were observed. Neutral temperature was calculated using Griffiths’ method for both groups to determine the comfort ranges and compare them. The older adults presented a higher neutral temperature than the caregivers with a difference of 0.8 °C in winter and 1.74 °C in spring. Regarding the adaptive response, both occupant types performed the same actions to achieve comfort, but older adults had less control over these. It is hoped that this study can lay the groundwork regarding comfort temperatures for older adults in Chile and integrate a discussion regarding their well-being on a local and global scale.

Abstract Objective: Describing the results of a User-Centered Design workshop using Challenge Based Learning or CBL, where students from Chilean industrial design and health degrees, developed solutions to resolve health problems among the elderly. Method: It was a pre-experimental study; 45 university students took part in a workshop: 39 from Industrial Design, 3 from Speech Therapy, 2 from Medical Technology and 1 from Medicine. In this workshop, the students, using CBL in disciplinary heterogeneous groups, faced a 3-week challenge to develop products to overcome a health problem for an elderly person. Once the product was presented, the professors and students assessed the conceptual proposals, using a semantic differential. The students also evaluated the workshop with a perception survey. Results: Both the students and professors positively evaluated the usefulness and functionality of the conceptual proposals; although, the industrial design students were more critical about these aspects. The originality of proposals evaluated was the worst. Regarding the workshop, all students (100%) felt that instructions were clear as were the three moments of design, with problem definition stage best evaluated. Conclusions: The CBL is shown to be an educational tool that allows training professionals in product design and in developing health technology that is suitable for the users' needs. Regarding the process, heterogeneous make-up of the groups and clear external guide appear as essential for CBL to work well. Keywords: challenge-based learning, elderly, interdisciplinary, higher education. Continuous...