Story Behind the Project

Social isolation and loneliness is a global concern even post-pandemic. EU’s loneliness survey (2023) showed Ireland as Europe’s loneliest country. Alone’s figures reported a significant percentage (36%) of older adults newly contacting the organization feel socially isolated/lonely (Alone, 2023).

Various studies and interventions had been conducted in the dimensions of physical, mental and social support but sense of purpose has not yet been explored as a potential aid in alleviating loneliness/social isolation.

This fact ignited my interest and concern as the post-pandemic era calls for a re-evaluation of the way we live and the long-standing issue of loneliness amongst older adults deserves a deeper look. It is also a topic close to heart as my mother had a similar experience particularly during the period after her retirement.

This research explored ways of engaging older adults in the community with the hope of alleviating loneliness/social isolation. As a qualitative researcher, I do hope to shed light on the unmet needs of older adults and use this opportunity to design for good.

Taking it Forward

The GoodNeighbour's Role in Current Interventions

Each of the currently existing solutions has its role in the repertoire of interventions combating loneliness and isolation amongst older adults. What TheGoodNeighbour contributes is reaching out to the underserved older adults who may feel lonely/socially isolated but do not engage in current services that can help them with their isolation/loneliness such as volunteer organisations and social groups. It also works at the earlier stages of loneliness/social isolation wherein older adults who may experience this state from time to time can engage themselves in the service. More than just an intervention, The Good Neighbour could be a way of life in the community - that which positively contributes to the well-being of older adults while at the same time benefiting the entire neighbourhood through stronger local connections.

Impact on Broader World, Design Practise and Expansion Potential

Since the study looked into the societal context, it identified ageism as a significant barrier to combating loneliness/social isolation. This insight facilitated the development of a solution that incorporated an awareness campaign highlighting the strengths of older adults within the community. This is exhibited through the interaction touchpoints: VISUALISEWITHME and SHAREWITHME which encourages older adults to pass down their knowledge to the younger generation through art collaboration with young artists and simple note writing respectively. This hopes to increase awareness of older adult's role in the society and eventually change the way society views aging.

Cont….

On top of providing opportunities for older adults to exhibit purpose in the neighbourhood, proposed initiatives like SLOWDOWNWITHME have the potential to positively impact not just older adults but also other members of the neighbourhood who are also experiencing loneliness/isolation. Hence, TheGoodNeighbour has the potential to benefit the community as a whole while creating opportunities for older adults to be active contributors in the neighbourhood.

Further, the feedback mechanism of the gratitude system encourages the practise of gratitude in a community. Concretising this practise does not only meet the needs of older adults to be seen and heard but can also encourage people to practise and share more positive human values which builds a more resilient community in the long-run.

The concept of TheGoodNeighbour can be adopted in different counties and even countries by tailoring the interaction touchpoints to suit specific needs of older adults in various geographic regions. Though TheGoodNeighbour in its current state is a non-technological solution, given the adoption of technology amongst those in their late 50’s to early 60’s of today and an app’s ability to have wider reach especially in more secluded counties, the third proposed design solution in the ideation stage -pockets of purpose in all spaces - could be its next developmental phase.

Overall, it is hoped that this project provides a guide for intervention designers to further look into purpose as an additional solution in combating this long-standing issue. For interaction designers, it details the iterative process guided by the double diamond approach and hopes to demonstrate how the use of qualitative methodology can uncover meaningful insights that can guide the creation of human-centred and practical solutions. Lastly, this body of work also hopes to humbly contribute to the field of designing for good.