Videoconferencing to improve communication and well-being of elderly in care home — Relatives' perspective

With the growing number of elderly and the prevalence of loneliness and isolation today, there has been a growing interest in using technology to enable them enjoy the ageing process while still in contact with their relatives in order to boost communication and improve their well-being. The aim of the research is to study the perspective of relatives’ on improving communication and well-being of the elderly in care home by videoconferencing. The potential effect of this concept intervention is based on Pender’s Health Promotion Model with the purpose of improving health and social interactions between the elderly and their relatives who live far away from them. Using a quantitative method, the focused group were those who have elderly in care home. Fifty-six respondents answered the online survey. The twenty-eight questions were related to the key research questions and aimed at identifying the actual viewpoint of relatives regarding the intervention, their concern about communication and the well-being of the elderly. Google Doc Survey Analysis Tool was used to analyse the data collected. The results showed that relatives have positive expectations about the videoconferencing intervention and its potential to reduce loneliness, increase well-being and communication of elderly in care homes. Thus, the application of Pender’s model is suitable to improve well-being and communication as well as other situations that would enhance mental, physical, emotional and psychological health of the elderly especially by nurses and the managements in care homes. Granted, the cost of the videoconferencing concept and technology can be high but when the cost of loneliness and poor well-being of the elderly in care home is higher, then there may be the need to ensure that the implementation of the videoconferencing designed for older adults are facilitated based on the real need of the elderly ones based on their relatives’ perspective