Ascertaining Whether an Intelligent Voice Assistant Can Meet Older Adults’ Health-Related Needs in the Context of a Geriatrics 5Ms Framework

• Published in: Gerontology and geriatric medicine Vol. 9; p. 23337214231201138
• Main Authors: Lifset, Ella T., Charles, Kemeberly, Farcas, Emilia, Weibel, Nadir, Hogarth, Michael, Chen, Chen, Johnson, Janet G., Draper, Mary, Nguyen, Annie L., Moore, Alison A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2023; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Comorbidity; Digital technology; Geriatrics; Intelligent systems; Older people; multimorbidity; technology; qualitative research; aging
• ISSN: 2333-7214; 2333-7214
• DOI: 10.1177/23337214231201138

The Geriatrics 5Ms: Medications, Mind, Mobility, what Matters most and Multicomplexity is a framework to address the complex needs of older adults. Intelligent Voice Assistants (IVAs) are increasingly popular and have potential to support health-related needs of older adults. We utilized previously collected qualitative data on older adults’ views of how an IVA may address their health-related needs and ascertained their fit into the Geriatrics 5Ms framework. The codes describing health challenges and potential IVA solutions fit the framework: (1) Medications: difficulty remembering medications. Solution: reminders. (2) Mind: isolation, anxiety, memory loss. Solution: companionship, memory aids. (3) Mobility: barriers to exercise. Solution: incentives, exercise ideas. (4) Matters most: eating healthy foods. Solution: suggest and order nutritious foods, (5) Multicomplexity; managing multimorbidity. Solution: symptom tracking and communicating with health care professionals. Incorporating the 5Ms framework into IVA design can aid in addressing health care priorities of older adults.