Supporting the well-being of older adults with a conversational application for mindfulness-practice
Author(s): Lucy McCarren, Sanna Kuoppamäki
Friday 16 | 13:00-13:20
Room: TP52
Session: Robots in social life: interactions, hierarchies, and intimacies
This project investigates conversational agents (CAs) as a medium for guiding older adults through an interactive mindfulness practice. Mindfulness, defined as a state that can be achieved through focusing one’s awareness on the present moment and environment, has been explored as a treatment of physical symptoms and conditions which often occur along with ageing, and has been shown to reduce pain-related suffering and increase quality of life across age groups in Sweden. Research has also shown that mindfulness practices can reduce negative thought processes and treat anxiety disorder.
CAs can improve interactivity and accessibility of mobile applications, but most applications to date have not been developed according to older adults needs and interests. Large language models (LLMs) play a pivotal role in the landscape of CAs. CAs can leverage LLMs to enhance their understanding of user input and generate more nuanced and contextually relevant responses. A mobile application for guiding mindfulness practice which utilizes LLMs could be designed to have personalized content, customizable guidance, and interactive features.
In light of the above, it becomes apparent that both engaging in mindfulness practice and utilising the capabilities of CAs, could hold promise in promoting the well-being of older adults. The following research questions are arising from this: RQ1) Does engaging in mindfulness practice using a mobile application affect older adults’ well-being? RQ2) What are the benefits and challenges of using a mobile application for mindfulness practice with older adults? RQ3) In what way does the interactive dialogue model (CA) influence mindfulness practice in the mobile application for older adults? RQ4) What kind of interaction modalities (voice, sound, music) could improve the interactivity of the application?
This study presents the methodology and initial findings of the user study conducted among adults aged 65 and over using a mobile application for mindfulness practice over a 3-week period. Initial results from the qualitative interviews combined with questionnaires were analysed in relation to experiences and impact of technology-mediated mindfulness to older adults’ self-perceived well-being. Informed by findings from the user study, the study presents a methodology for the second stage, including a participatory design of a conversational mobile application for mindfulness practice with older adults. As a conclusion, the study discusses conversational agents as a medium for enhancing embodied experiences of older adults in maintaining their well-being.