Dear You,
We can’t touch, but we can stay in touch!
Our Mission
Dear You, aims to bridge isolation in senior citizens by leveraging a local senior center in Austin, TX. Our mission is to empower socially active seniors disadvantaged by the COVID-19 pandemic through providing an empathetic service that combats loneliness and yields social engagement to promote overall health and wellbeing.
CLIENT
MA in Design Studio Project
ROLES
Co-Project Lead, Field Researcher, Content Strategist
TEAM
Surya Nair and Raphael McIntyre
“Older people are invisible in society after a certain point...it's one of the last remaining acceptable prejudices.”
— Nancy Perry Graham, editor in chief of AARP
The Dear You, Model
Dear You, is an elevated pen pal service designed to reengage seniors at a local Austin, TX senior activity center. Seniors are anonymously paired with one another as "pals" and are guided through a series of empathetic and introspective activities, ultimately leading to the creation and nurturing of long-lasting relationships.
For more information about details of the service, please see the service map gallery below.
The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened health disparities in the senior population and has drastically limited opportunities for socialization. Seniors are struggling with isolation and loneliness, now more than ever, leading to significant negative impacts on health.
Research Methods
Semi-Structured Interviews
Our team conducted __ interviews with key stakeholders to identify human needs.
Participatory Survey Design
We crafted a survey designed at revealing user’s hopes, fears, and desires surrounding isolation during the pandemic.
Affinity Diagramming
We revealed rich insights from the data gathered through the processes of affinity diagramming and thematic analysis.
Insights
Insight 1
COVID-19 has exacerbated the issues prevalent in healthcare for seniors by increasing isolation, particularly in those already suffering from cognitive decline.
“Isolation is not being able to see people or do things.”
Insight 2
All people need a variety of social engagement options in their daily life, but seniors tend to be left behind in this aspect.
“Seniors want a social outlet, they want to just be able to engage in a fun and lighthearted and enjoyable way with each other...specific topics with specific questions.”
Insight 3
Technology comes with its pros and cons, by providing elegant solutions for wicked problems, but also by acting as a gatekeeper against seniors who are less technologically inclined or have limited access.
“A little over 50% can figure out technology. Even FaceTime can be too complicated.”
