Reminiscence stick: enriching interaction

Reminiscence stick: enriching interaction

Ageing as a positive phenomenon – enriching interaction!

10.9.2013 Lahti Ski Museum

Satu Pekkarinen satu.pekkarinen@lut.fi Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lahti School of Innovation

Päivi Kuosmanen paivi.kuosmanen@helsinki.fi University of Helsinki, Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education

Sticks – an R&D project conducted in Lahti Region, Finland

A joint project by University of Helsinki ,

Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education

and Lappeenranta University of

Technology, Lahti School of Innovation

2010-2014

Based on simple and inexpensive

technology – USB sticks

Two stick concepts are being developed:

mStick = a reminiscence stick (memory and recollection stick)

hStick = a health stick

Funding:

European Regional Development Fund and the

municipalities of Lahti Region

• The reminiscence stick (mStick) is a biographical memory store,

where personal documents, like photographs, texts, audio and

video clips, material related to hobbies are stored in a digital form,

organised and visualised in the way the person wishes.

• It may function as a collective memory store consisting of material

about a certain theme or generation.

• To be used for personal recreation, interaction between

generations, in care work, in activity centres, for introducing

information society to elderly people in a personally

meaningful way, etc.

• Displayed with the help of computer (data projector), TV,

digital photo frame…

mStick

• A human being is a biographical creature,

whose memory never disappears

completely – let alone memories.

• Background theories: narrative

gerontology (Ruth and Kenyon 1996;

Kenyon et al. 2001), reminiscense

research (e.g. Gibson 2011), life review

(Butler 1963)

The background philosophy of the mStick

Development of the structure and contents of

the mStick with Living Lab techniques

• The users are active participants

(not only testers of ready-made

products) in the innovation process

• The piloting started from ”the

empty stick” → the work methods

and contents were created

individually based on the needs of

each group/ user

Community College Wellamo

Highly educated immigrants: Digital life stories, translated

diplomas, basic health information, an information

package and essential web links about Finland

Lahden lähimmäispalvelu, (non-profit association)

Independently living ageing people including photographs and written stories in a digital form

A local Alzheimer Society

Collectively compiled structure (visualized in the form of

an interface) for a personal mStick for people with early

stages of dementia

Harjula Settlement Association

Customers of senior homes, including photographs and

oral stories.

Senior Activity Centre, Sysmä

Customers of the activity centre, including written life

stories, photographs, audio clips, other personal

documents

The Onni Well-being Centre

A collective mStick about the history and activities of a

handicraft group: photographs, video clips, audio clips

Activity Centre for seniors, Orimattila

A collective activity mStick about the theme:

“holidays”: photographs, oral stories in a digital form

Avainsäätiö, A non-profit association

Persons with communication problems, done with the help

of “a communication carpet”, including information about

the person’s interests and means of communication.

Lahti Deacony Foundation

A personal mStick for customers of senior residential

services: digital life stories, photographs, oral and

written stories, a semi-structured form about personal

biographical information.

A collective activity stick: thematic movies, song lyrics,

proverbs, rules of games.

The Mäntsälä Adult Education Centre

An mStick course for older people with basic IT-skills

Activity Centre for seniors, Iitti

A collective activity mStick about the theme: “from

sheep to wool, from wool to sweater”: photographs

and oral stories in a digital form

Students as Stick Tailors

together with seniors and near relatives

Care workers/Group leaders as Stick Tailors

together with seniors or immigrants

Active seniors making their personal sticks

independently

A Stick Course arranged by a third sector

educational organisation

aimed at active seniors

’Sticks’ Project

Different ways of making the sticks

In our home village with friends.

The fence that you see behind us was typical for

our village.

Photographs with narratives

Getting married

Toimi and I got married at

Niemisen Linna (a

community house). Now

the place is owned by local

sports associations. Our

wedding waltz was called

”Metsäkukkia”.

Photographs with narratives

Digital photo frame

Conducting the research

• Action research and user-driven approach: The mStick concept has been piloted

among groups of elderly in the Lahti region in Finland

•11 small scale pilots in different environments

• Qualitative data collected: group interviews and other meetings (33 end-users, 29

workers/students/teachers), learning diaries, participatory observation:

photographs and memos

• An explorative approach: a process of co-creation of the innovative concept, and

collective knowledge creation from different perspectives.

• Assessment of the roles, functions, impacts and usability of the sticks on the

elderly users, their near relatives, care personnel and care organizations

Impacts of the mStick…

…on prevention and engagement

• Offers meaningful contents to life, feeling of coherence, social contacts,

increasing appreciation

• The simple process of selecting the photographs with an elderly person, to be

stored on the stick may serve as a memory exercise in itself:

”I noticed her anguish when she

didn’t remember who the man was in

the picture […] but after we had

circulated the same photo series

four times, I guess, she remembered

– ”Hey, it is Pentti, wonderful, it’s

Pentti!”

(a student who made an mStick with a

customer with a memory disease)

…on enhancement and satisfaction

• The potential of mStick in self-expression and utilizing the resources that

elderly people possess

• Looking back to childhood memories has brought joy to life after widowing and

relieved feeling of loneliness.

• Appreciation: “It is so wonderful that the life and work history of mine have

been noticed in this way and I feel that they are appreciated. This is like an

award for my life work!” (a customer, an mStick pilot)

• Activity: “Also my children have noticed

that now this grandpa has got some new

power.” (a customer, an mStick pilot)

• The process of making the mStick has

helped to build a feeling of coherence in

life

Impacts of the mStick…

• Empowerment of older people

• A meaningful way to prevent older people from

being left aside from the information society:

“I have noticed that the fear towards technology

has already turned to curiosity.” (a service consultant in senior residential services)

“I hadn’t seen such a stick before. Well, that

was… that was a miracle.” (a customer, an mStick pilot)

• Building a bridge between generations:

greetings to next generation.

…on enhancement and satisfaction

Impacts of the mStick…

…on care work

Impacts of the mStick…

• Gives a broader picture of customers’

background and preferences → helps to avoid

misunderstanding, especially with persons with

memory or communication problems

”This gives a completely different perception

from the one I had about the customer earlier.”

• Helps to meet the customer as a whole human

being:

”But if the customer has a face and a past, she

or he is a person and can be regarded in the

right way.”

• Connecting reminiscence to every-day

life practices and care practices

• Enables new kind of collaboration with

near relatives

• A new kind of work method for activity

centers; new ideas

• Increases meaningfulness and

appreciation of care work?

• Change of caring culture, a biographical approach in the care work (not only

health history, but life as a whole) -> recognizing the ’face’ (Levinas 1996) of

another human being

• Getting to know the customer more deeply – not as extra work, but as an

internal part of basic care

Impacts of the mStick…

…on care work

“In this way we get to know something very essential about the

resident. The life history is very important. It is related to the

autonomy of the person, which is an essential part of the care work.” (a service manager)

From sheep to wool, from wool to sweater

The mStick may act as a new kind of tool for care workers

organizing reminiscence sessions and other joint

programmes.

Things to ponder on

• Suitable times and places for making the mStick, and laboriousness of

making the mStick, especially with people with memory diseases

• To a certain extent also challenges related to technology as well as

structuring and ways of presenting the material to be included on the mStick

• Who has the right to use and keep the mStick when the owner dies?

• How to store the mStick?

• Working on the process of parting (students)

• Can knowledge of the customer’s past/ background also be stigmatizing

from the point of view of care work? Sometimes it might be good to start

”from scratch”.

The mStick as a frugal innovation

The innovation is in the idea:

based on simple and

inexpensive technology –

ordinary USB sticks

Sticks are also understandable

and rich in semiotic sense. They

can, e.g., be designed and

personalised.

For more information:

http://www.tikutus.fi paivi.kuosmanen@helsinki.fi & satu.pekkarinen@lut.fi

And in conclusion: Hilja’s life

Thank you!