Karyn Moffatt: Assistant Prof, McGill School of information
“I didn’t start off thinking of technology as a support for Aging Gracefully: rather it was very personal connection: one of my supervisor’s colleagues– who wasn’t older – but who had a brain tumour and had trouble speaking. Then, I sort of stumbled into the area—doing my masters in aphasia and found one of the most common cause was stroke – which largely strikes elders.”
And so, after 6 years of doctorial research on accessible computing for seniors, Karyn found herself drawn to TAGlab and wasn’t disappointed:
“I don’t know how Ron does it – but he does a does a great job, bringing together all these different people with different expertise, and an environment with great energy and a great vibe.”
Now Assistant Professor in the McGill School of information–where getting published is part of the reward structure and a success marker in itself – Karyn’s perspective on a culture like TAGlab, that encourages commercialization: “It takes time, energy and know-how. It’s a decades-long process.”
The TAGlab approach still resonates
“I like the idea of doing something that can make a difference in peoples lives, and I’m leaning toward aging, and how tech is incorporated in improving communications. For example, I see a real role for technology in Hospice.
This isn’t about getting hospice patients to learn new technologies with diminishing cognition or capabilities, but tech it presents communications and connectivity opportunities: If a visitor comes when the patient’s napping, or not alert – there’s the opportunity to let them know: ‘I was here.’ Or if you’re stuck for what to talk about, tech can help bridge that gap.”
A concern with technology is that it, risks ‘virtual’ visit replacing real visits. When I tell Karyn the struggle between my children wanting to see their grandmother in her last days, but their grandmother not wanting the kids to see her in that state or that environment. Her take:
“I believe there is an opportunity for carefully designed technologies to help people negotiate differing values (such as one person wanting to visit but the hospice resident not wanting to be seen in his/her current state) but I can’t emphasize enough how it’s not a matter of technology just being a magic bullet. The real Human Computer Interaction (HCI) challenge will be figuring out how to design technology to avoid pitfalls (such as replacing real visits) and realize the potential of virtual interaction in meaningful ways.”
As Karyn points out, Skype is not about replacing human contact but rather a solution to a tough issue such as the one I’ve described
Her efforts bring rewards
“One of the things that surprises me the most: how willing people are to work with me: Patients and nurses – who I know are overworked. It’s humbling that they’re willing to sacrifice lunch breaks. Confirms what I’m doing – that I’m on the right track.”
Our relationships are negotiations and compromise
Karyn credits Ron for getting her to act outside of her own comfort zone:
“Ron taught me how be pushier: ‘haven’t you emailed and asked? You can’t just expect things to happen the way they were supposed to.’ Being pushier is horribly uncomfortable for me. I’m always saying, ‘Sorry to bother you’. But then I think: ‘how would Ron say this?’ It takes time, energy and know-how. But you know something? It works!”
She sums up the difficulty with explaining technology as a means to an end:
“It can be abstract sometimes: it’s often part of a bigger thing that you can’t describe at a party.”