Age-Inclusive ICT Innovation for Service Delivery in South Africa : A Developing Country Perspective.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roos, Vera.

Contributor:

Hoffman, Jaco.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Technology and older people.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (271 pages)

Place of Publication:

2022.

Cham : Springer International Publishing AG, 2023.

Summary:

This open access book presents a step-by-step journey to address the problem of ineffective service delivery by local government that led to the leveraging of new technology to benefit older individuals. Based in South Africa, this exploration is in one sense peculiar to its setting--developing country with huge inequalities--but the story goes beyond the immediate geographical setting of (South) Africa and transcends the temporal aspect of ICT technology. It reflects on older persons' participation, negotiation, and transition in the development of a technology artefact that offers the potential to access services and activities, and to participate in an inclusive society for all ages. This theme has wider resonance, and demonstrates a phenomenon witnessed in different ways and stages across the globe: cohorts of older persons negotiating waves of updated and new technologies. This edited volume details a workable, transdisciplinary and relational approach to 21st-century ICT innovation that helps create a technology artefact tailored for purpose. Worldwide, it is anticipated that care needs of older populations will outstrip available resources. Sub-Saharan Africa lacks relevant long-term care systems for older persons, and technology could play a crucial role in supporting families, communities and government in vital care management. This volume addresses, in three parts, the under-explored topic of age-inclusive ICT development and use in resource-poor countries. Part 1, Context and Project Background, sets out ICT service delivery to older persons globally and within South Africa, drawing on guiding legislative frameworks. It discusses the we-DELIVER project as an example of developing and applying age-inclusive technology in developing countries. Part 2, Principles, Process and Applications, proposes situationally and relationally informed ethical conduct in applying community-based research; the development of a questionnaire and application to present first-time baseline findings of older South Africans' cell phone use, highlighting its intergenerational facilitation. The development of the Yabelana alluding to "sharing" ecosystem consisting of a website, an app, and an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) code turned out to be a first of its kind: a digital self-sustaining technology artefact that serves as an eDirectory to provide information about local services or events for but not exclusively older individuals. Part 3, Critical Reflections and the Way Forward, considers the inclusion of marginalized older individuals and the future of ICT and cell phone technology to inform research, practice, and policy. This topical edited volume is of interest to social science researchers and students as well as policy makers and practitioners dealing with the life course, ageing and age care, intergenerational issues, technology, social policy, and social work.

Contents:

Intro

Preface

Chapter Outline

Acknowledgements

Contents

About the Authors

List of Figures

List of Tables

Part I: Context and Project Background

Chapter 1: ``Leapfrog Technology´´: Locating Older (South) Africans at the ICT Interface

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Background Trends

1.2.1 Poverty, Unemployment, Illiteracy and Social Protection

1.2.2 Migration

1.2.3 HIV and AIDS

1.2.4 Rise in Non-Communicable Diseases

1.2.5 Families and Intergenerational Relations

1.3 Ageing in (South) Africa

1.3.1 Demographic Transition

1.3.2 Epidemiological Transition

1.4 ICT Penetration in (South) Africa

1.5 Locating Older Persons at the ICT Interface

1.5.1 Key Cross-Cutting Strategic Considerations

1.5.2 Key Domains for Older Persons at the ICT Interface

1.6 Conclusion

References

Chapter 2: Municipal Service Delivery to Older Persons: Contextualizing Opportunities for ICT Interventions

2.1 Municipal Service Delivery for all Ages

2.2 A Law and Policy Framework that Protects, Enables, and Directs

2.2.1 International Policy Calling for Inclusivity at the Local Level

2.2.2 A South African Law and Policy Framework that Protects the Vulnerable, Enables Action, and Directs those Responsible for...

2.3 Baseline Assessment of What Transpires in Relation to Service Delivery

2.3.1 Perspectives of Local Government Officials

2.3.1.1 Method

2.3.1.2 Findings

2.3.2 Perspectives of Older Citizens

2.3.2.1 Method

2.3.2.2 Findings

2.4 Critical Reflections towards ICT Interventions

2.5 Conclusion

Chapter 3: Older South Africans´ Access to Service Delivery through Technology: A Process Overview

3.1 Introduction

3.2 The Research Journey

3.3 Data-Collection Initiatives

3.3.1 Communities and Stakeholders in Context

3.3.1.1 Communities.

3.3.1.2 Stakeholders

3.4 Self-Funded Study (2014)iGNiTe: Older Individuals´ Cell Phone Use and Intra/Intergenerational Networks

3.4.1 Questionnaire

3.4.2 Qualitative Data-Collection Methods

3.4.3 Older Individuals´ Participation

3.5 Funded Project (2017): we-DELIVER: Holistic Service Delivery to Older People by Local Government through ICT

3.5.1 Revised Questionnaire

3.5.2 Qualitative Data

3.5.3 Older Individuals´ Participation

3.6 Approaches Adopted

3.7 Social Engagement Facilitation Strategies

3.7.1 Familiarity with Sociocultural Context

3.7.2 Dyads and Small Groups

3.7.3 Socializing

3.8 Dissemination

3.8.1 Older Persons

3.8.2 SALGA and Age-in-Action

3.8.3 Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA)

3.9 Conclusion

Part II: Principles, Processes and Applications

Chapter 4: Situationally and Relationally Guided Ethical Conduct for Researchers: A Community-Based Research Project to Design...

4.1 The Dilemma of Conducting Community-Based Research Ethically from a Universalist Perspective

4.2 we-DELIVER: Holistic Service Delivery to Older People by Local Government through ICT

4.2.1 Research Team

4.2.1.1 Researchers

4.2.1.2 Student Fieldworkers

4.2.2 Communities

4.3 Project Phases Guided by Situatedness and Relationality

4.3.1 Planning Phase

4.3.2 Implementation Phase

4.3.3 Dissemination Phase

4.4 Broad Guidelines for Community-Based Research

4.5 Conclusion

Appendix

Chapter 5: Developing a Questionnaire to Investigate Older Individuals´ Cell Phone Use and Age-Inclusive Implementation throug...

5.1 Introduction

5.2 The iGNiTe Questionnaire (Older Individuals´ Cell Phone Use and Intra/Intergenerational Networks)

5.2.1 Participants and Data Collection.

5.2.2 Statistical Analysis and Results from the iGNiTe Questionnaire

5.3 The we-DELIVER Questionnaire (Holistic Service Delivery to Older People by Local Government through ICT)

5.3.1 Structure of the we-DELIVER Questionnaire

5.3.2 Translation and Pilot Study

5.3.3 Data Collection and Participants

5.3.4 Statistical Analyses and Results

5.3.4.1 Descriptive Statistics and Reliability

5.3.4.2 Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)

5.3.4.3 Exploratory Factor Analysis

5.4 AGeConnect Questionnaire (Age-Inclusive eConnections Between Generations for Interventions and Cell Phone Technology)

5.4.1 Structure of the AGeConnect Questionnaire

5.4.2 Guidelines for Using the AGeConnect Questionnaire

5.5 Conclusion

AGeConnect QUESTIONNAIRE

Chapter 6: Older South Africans´ Cell Phone Use in Diverse Settings: A Baseline Assessment

6.1 Contextualization

6.2 Research Method

6.2.1 Participants

6.2.2 Data-Collection Tools

6.2.3 Data Analysis

6.3 Results

6.3.1 Cell Phones in the Context of Older Participants

6.3.2 Utilization

6.3.3 Social Networks around Cell Phone Use

6.3.4 Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude

6.4 Discussion of Results

6.5 Implications of Results for ICT Interventions

6.6 Limitations

6.7 Conclusion

Chapter 7: Intergenerational Experiences around Older Persons´ Cell Phone Use in Formal Public Domains

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1 Intergenerational Interactions in Informal and Formal Contexts in the Private and the Public Domain

7.1.2 Theoretical Framework

7.2 Method

7.2.1 Research Context and Participants

7.2.2 Procedure and Data Collection

7.2.3 Data Analysis

7.3 Findings

7.3.1 Generational Perspectives of Older Participants and Student Fieldworker Participants.

7.3.1.1 Older Participants Perspectives of Younger People Familiar to Them

7.3.1.2 Student Fieldworkers´ Perspective of Older Persons

7.3.2 Outcomes of the Intergenerational Activity

7.3.2.1 Older Participants in Relation to Younger Student Fieldworker Participants and Younger Relatives

7.3.2.2 Student Fieldworkers in Relation to Older Participants and Familiar Older Persons

7.3.3 Creating an Optimal Context for Interactions

7.4 Discussion

7.5 To Conclude

Chapter 8: Yabelana: Designing and Introducing an Age-Inclusive and Context-Specific Information and Communication (ICT) Ecosy...

8.1 Conceptual Boundaries around Age-Inclusive and Context-Sensitive ICT

8.2 Phase 1: Older ICT Users´ Situatedness, Needs and Preferences, and Social Systems

8.2.1 Contextualizing Older South African ICT Users

8.2.2 Older ICT Users in South Africa

8.2.3 Intergenerational Relations (a Facilitating Social System)

8.3 Phase 2: Technology Artefact: Name, Design, and Populate with Information

8.3.1 Assign a Name to the ICT Artefact and Design Appropriate Branding

8.3.2 Design ICT Ecosystem Consisting of a Website, App and USSD Code

8.3.3 Populate the Yabelana Ecosystem with Service Provider Information

8.4 Phase 3: Introduce Yabelana through Student Fieldworkers (as the Facilitating Social System)

8.5 Phase 4: Improve the Yabelana App and USSD Code

8.5.1 Reflections of Student Fieldworkers and Older Individuals

8.5.2 Recommendations to Improve the Use of Yabelana (App and USSD Code)

8.6 Conclusion

Part III: Age-Inclusive ICT Design and Further Developments

Chapter 9: Inclusion of Marginalized Older Individuals in Artefact Design: Reflections and Recommendations

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Six Actions to Design a Technology Artefact

9.2.1 Describe the Problem.

9.2.2 Define the Problem

9.2.3 Relate to Key People about the Problem

9.2.4 Generate an Action Plan

9.2.5 Act to Alleviate the Problem

9.2.5.1 Gap Analysis

9.2.5.2 Conceptual Design

9.2.6 Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Action

9.3 Including Older Individuals in Technology Artefact Design: A Critique

9.4 Recommendations

9.5 An Open Ending

Chapter 10: Digital Divide and Digital Inclusion: Juxtaposed Realities and eInclusive Prospects for Older Persons

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Problematizing the Ageing-Technology Interface

10.3 Transferable Knowledge for eInclusion of Older Persons

10.3.1 Intergenerational Approach

10.3.2 Intergenerational Contact Zones

10.3.3 Planned Intergenerational Programming for eInclusion

10.3.4 Older User-Centric Participation towards eInclusion

10.4 The Bottom Line: Person and Technology/Environment Fit

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

3-030-94606-1

OCLC:

1347023756