Development of an app as an activist force for Alzheimer's and dementia caregivers

Dissertação de Mestrado em Design, com a especialização em Design de Comunicação, apresentada na Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre.A doença de Alzheimer – uma das variantes doenças de Demência – está a aumentar exponencialmente devido ao envelhecimento populacional. A tendência demográfica de envelhecimento na Europa apresenta riscos e suscita a procura de soluções que retirem o melhor partido possível das tecnologias disponíveis. Portugal enfrenta uma série de desafios em matéria de qualidade de vida da sua população, dado que o cuidado dos idosos com demência é um problema que envolve a sua família. De facto, é patente a falta de recursos para cuidar de pessoas que vivem com a doença de Alzheimer. Escasseiam os centros de dia para acolher em segurança o número crescente de idosos com aquele diagnóstico. De acordo com as estimativas da Alzheimer Europe, estima-se que existem cerca de 153 000 casos de pessoas com Demência em Portugal, número que poderá triplicar em 2040. Esta investigação centra-se em métodos de avaliação para determinar se a tecnologia de reconhecimento facial contribui para o desenvolvimento de medidas preventivas de incidentes de deambulação em pessoas portadoras da doença de Alzheimer. Estas ocorrências exigem dos familiares cuidadores um envolvimento permanente, o que inevitavelmente afeta as suas vidas. Para responder às questões de investigação recorreu-se à revisão da teoria, análise e crítica de casos de estudo, entrevistas semiestruturadas, classificação de categorias e subcategorias de aplicação através do método de service blueprinting(fase não intervencionista) e à pesquisa prática, que apresenta e discute os resultados dos testes de usabilidade e da criação de personas que representam os diversos perfis de potenciais utilizadores da aplicação desenvolvida para smartphone (fase intervencionista). O naming proposto – NOSCO – radica numa palavra do grego antigo, que significa “conhecer”, e permite relacioná-lo com outros termos que foram importantes para o desenvolvimento da identidade visual da aplicação: memória, afetos, mobilização de várias vontades para ajudar o portador da doença de Alzheimer. A aplicação destina-se a smartphone e encontra-se, ainda, em fase de desenvolvimento. Os testes de usabilidade com um protótipo funcional forneceram indicadores que confirmam o potencial da aplicação para minimizar o impacto dos acidentes de deambulação, proporcionar um ambiente mais seguro para os doentes e familiares cuidadores, dar maior visibilidade social à doença de Alzheimer e facilitar a inclusão social dos idosos com esta patologia.ABSTRACT: Alzheimer’s disease – one of the forms of Dementia disease – is increasing exponentially due to the ageing of the human body. The current demographic trend in Europe for the aging population presents risks and generates a search for updated solutions. Portugal faces a number of challenges in the quality of life of its populations since the care of the elderly with dementia is a problem that involves their family. In fact, there is a lack of resources to care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. Day care centres are scarce and fail to give continuous care to the growing number of elderly people with that diagnosis. According to Alzheimer Europe, there are an estimated 153,000 cases of people with dementia in Portugal, which could triple by 2040. This research focuses on assessment methods to determine whether facial recognition technology contributes for the development of preventive measures in wandering incidents that occur in people living with Alzheimer’s disease. These occurrences require family caregivers to be permanently involved, which will inevitably affect their lives. In order to answer the research questions, the author made use of the literature review, analysis and critique of a collection on empirical case studies, semi-structured interviews, classification of categories and subcategories of the mobile application through the use of a service blueprinting method (non-interventionist phase). As well as the elaboration of the practical research which presents and discusses the results of usability tests and the creation of personas that represent the various of potential user profiles of the application developed for smartphone (interventionist phase). The proposed naming – NOSCO – is based upon a word from ancient Greek, which means “to know”, and allows to relate it with other terms that were important for the development of the visual identity of the mobile application: memory, affections, mobilization of various wills to help the person living with Alzheimer’s disease. The application is intended for smartphones and is still under development. Usability tests with a functional prototype provided indicators that confirm the potential of the application to minimize the impact of wandering incidents, provide a safer environment for both patients and family caregivers, provide greater social visibility to Alzheimer’s disease, and facilitate social inclusion of the elderly with this pathology.N/

Actas da 10ª Conferência sobre Redes de Computadores

Universidade do MinhoCCTCCentro AlgoritmiCisco SystemsIEEE Portugal Sectio

Geographies of Inequality in Latin America

Inequality remains a key issue in Latin America today. Despite economic growth and democratization processes, despite social movements and the creation of policies aimed at the reduction of inequalities and poverty, income distribution and general living conditions are still marked by extreme imbalances. The polarization between those sectors of the population benefiting from economic growth and those who lose seems to have further increased in the wake of globalization processes, trade liberalization and the neo-liberal economic policies of the past decades. In urban areas, such processes of globalization and fragmentation play an important role and become manifest in space, not only through patterns of social exclusion, segregation and growing disjunctures between richer and poorer sectors of the urban social fabric, but also with respect to the transformation of public space which is subject to fencing and enclosure, as well as to reappropriation by urban inhabitants. The present volume on “Geographies of inequality” aims to discuss socio-economic, cultural, political and environmental dimensions of inequalities and their interrelatedness. Most of the presented papers include a political perspective on the studied issues and many deal with interrelations of processes situated on different scales with some of the authors taking decidedly multi-scalar approaches. Many of the articles point to the observation that the studied issues of inequality are more often than not linked to power asymmetries and institutional weaknesses that account for a variety of problems, such as the perpetuation of inequality structures, the failure of well-intended measures or undesired side-effects of environmental policies, among others.Ungleichheit ist in Lateinamerika nach wie vor ein zentrales Thema. Trotz des Wirtschaftswachstums und der Demokratisierungsprozesse, trotz sozialer Bewegungen und der Schaffung von Maßnahmen zur Verringerung von Ungleichheiten und Armut sind die Einkommensverteilung und die allgemeinen Lebensbedingungen immer noch von extremen Ungleichgewichten geprägt. Die Polarisierung zwischen den Bevölkerungsgruppen, die vom Wirtschaftswachstum profitieren, und denjenigen, die verlieren, scheint sich durch die Globalisierungsprozesse, die Handelsliberalisierung und die neoliberale Wirtschaftspolitik der letzten Jahrzehnte noch verstärkt zu haben. In städtischen Gebieten spielen solche Globalisierungs- und Fragmentierungsprozesse eine wichtige Rolle und manifestieren sich im Raum, nicht nur durch Muster sozialer Ausgrenzung, Segregation und wachsender Disparitäten zwischen reicheren und ärmeren Sektoren des städtischen Sozialgefüges, sondern auch im Hinblick auf die Umgestaltung des öffentlichen Raums, die sowohl von Einzäunung und Ausgrenzung als auch von Wiederaneignung durch Stadtbewohner*innen geprägt ist. Dieser Band über „Geographien der Ungleichheit” zielt darauf ab, sozioökonomische, kulturelle, politische und ökologische Dimensionen von Ungleichheiten und ihre Wechselbeziehungen zu diskutieren. Die meisten Beiträge nehmen eine politische Perspektive auf die untersuchten Themen ein und befassen sich mit Wechselbeziehungen zwischen Prozessen auf verschiedenen Ebenen, wobei einige der Autoren einen ausgeprägten Multiskalenansatz verfolgen. Viele der Artikel verweisen auf die Beobachtung, dass die untersuchten Ungleichheitsprobleme häufig mit Machtasymmetrien und institutionellen Schwächen zusammenhängen, die für eine Vielzahl von Problemen verantwortlich sind

Exploring perspectives of people with type-1 diabetes on goalsetting strategies within self-management education and care

Background. Collaborative goal-setting strategies are widely recommended for diabetes self-management support within healthcare systems. Creating self-management plans that fit with peoples’ own goals and priorities has been linked with better diabetic control. Consequently, goal-setting has become a core component of many diabetes selfmanagement programmes such as the ‘Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) programme’. Within DAFNE, people with Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) develop their own goals along with action-plans to stimulate goal-achievement. While widely implemented, limited research has explored how goal-setting strategies are experienced by people with diabetes.Therefore, this study aims to explore the perspectives of people with T1D on theimplementation and value of goal-setting strategies within DAFNE and follow-up diabetes care. Furthermore, views on barriers and facilitators to goal-attainment are explored.Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 people with T1D who attended a DAFNE-programme. Following a longitudinal qualitative research design, interviews took place 1 week, and 6-8 months after completion of DAFNE. A recurrent cross-sectional approach is applied in which themes will be identified at each time-point using thematic analyses.Expected results. Preliminary identified themes surround the difference in value that participants place on goal-setting strategies, and the lack of support for goal-achievement within diabetes care.Current stage. Data collection complete; data-analysis ongoing.Discussion. Goal-setting strategies are increasingly included in guidelines for diabetes support and have become essential parts of many primary care improvement schemes. Therefore, exploring the perspectives of people with T1D on the value and implementation of goal-setting strategies is vital for their optimal application