Experimentation of the SoBeezy program in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: what lessons have we learned? (Preprint)

Abstract

The SoBeezy program is an innovative intervention aiming at promoting and fostering healthy ageing and ageing in place by proposing to older adults concrete solutions to face the daily life, tackle loneliness, promote social participation and reduce digital divide thanks to a specific easy-to-use voice assistant (the BeeVA smartdisplay).

The present study aimed to assess the acceptability of the SoBeezy program and of its voice assistant, and to identify the potential areas of improvement.

A 12-month experimentation of the program has been deployed in real-life conditions among older adults living in the community in four pilot city of France. Launched during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 crisis, this multi-site study aimed to assess acceptability using questionnaires and interviews conducted at baseline and at the end of the experimentation. In addition, a series of meetings have been conducted with the staff SoBeezy members to have the direct feedbacks from the ground.

In total, 109 older persons have been equipped with the BeeVA to use the SoBeezy platform, among them 32 left the experimentation before its end and 69 participants completed the final questionnaires. In total, 335 interventions have been conducted and almost 40% of the participants requested services, mainly for supportive calls and visits, assistance with shopping, transportation, and crafting-gardening. Three-quarters of the whole sample considered the BeeVA as a reassuring presence and few persons reported a negative opinion on the program (15 out of the 69). The voice assistant appeared easy to use and particularly useful for participants living alone and those less comfortable with technology. They also were positive to the acquisition of the BeeVA and the SoBeezy intervention.

This multi-site study conducted in real-life conditions, among more than 100 older adults living in the community provides enlightening results of the reality on the ground on digital tools designed for the aging population. The COVID-19 context appeared both as an opportunity given the massive needs of the older adults during this crisis, but also very limiting due to the sanitary constraints. Nevertheless, the experimentation showed overall a good acceptability of the voice assistant, a high level of satisfaction of the participants among those who really used the system and could be a way of improving the autonomy and well-being of older adults and their families. However, the findings also highlighted resistance to change and difficulties for the users to ask for help. The experimentation also emphasized levers for the next deployments and future research. The next step will be the experimentation of the activity-sharing component that could not be tested due to the COVID-19 context.