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20213311 송준영(teamleader), 20221944 이진, 20221453 이윤재, 20223866 김주은

Problem We Found

The issue of communication frequency between senior individuals and their caregivers :

Too frequent contact can make each other uncomfortable.

However, checking in on the well-being of the senior is an important responsibility for caregivers.

Also, it is beneficial for elderly individuals to regularly report their condition to their caregivers.

Therefore, instead of direct communication methods such as phone calls or text messages, we aim to create a platform that enables indirect communication.

Development Plan

App Audience :

Senior individuals (Main user)

Own family, caregivers

App Function Flow : 

The elderly enter information into the app 

— this information is delivered to the caregiver in real time 

— the caregiver responds if necessary

Comparison with Existing Apps :

Most existing Elderly condition monitoring apps focus on communication between caregivers at facilities such as nursing homes and the family members.

Unique part of our app

Directly connects the seniors and their caregivers, enabling real-time monitoring of the seniors' condition.

Senior (main audience)

—defined by their connection to a Caregiver—we outlined:

• Frequency of Contact: How many times per day they reach out to their Caregiver

• Triggers for Contact: The situations or needs that prompt them to get in touch

• Conversation Topics: The subjects they most often discuss with their Caregiver

• Health-Status Sharing: The manner and format in which they report their well-being (e.g., text updates, photos, predefined check-in prompts)

Own family, Caregivers

—defined their shared needs and challenges when monitoring a Senior’s well-being:

Needs

• Real-time, frequent status updates: Caregivers want to know the Senior’s current condition as it happens.

• Confirmation of essential routines: They need to ensure the Senior is consistently completing vital tasks (e.g., taking medication).
  
  

Challenges

• Contact overload: Too many check-ins can become overwhelming due to work or other commitments.

• Delayed response difficulty: Even when health updates arrive after the fact, it can be hard to take timely or effective action.

User Interview 

We classified and interviewed three senior individuals and three caregivers.

The full interview is as follows. :

    Under the app concept of supporting communication between senior individuals and their caregivers, we conducted a survey to understand their typical communication patterns, frequency, and depth. We found no significant differences across all respondents—even when comparing Seniors and Caregivers who live together versus those who live apart. In other words, although the details of their interactions vary, the overall structure of how Seniors and Caregivers communicate is remarkably consistent. 

Our key findings are as follows:

• Reluctance to Burden: Seniors often worry that frequent calls or messages might inconvenience their Caregivers.

• Desire for More Contact: Unless they live together or see each other in person regularly, many Seniors wish they could reach out more often.

• Safety through Updates: Caregivers believe that staying frequently informed about a Senior’s well-being contributes to their safety.

• Schedule Constraints: Caregivers sometimes cannot respond as often as they would like due to personal or work commitments.

• Conversation Topics: The most common discussion themes are:

  1. Health status updates (e.g., chronic conditions)

  2. Daily life check-ins (general well-being)

  3. Other logistical or informational exchanges

  This insight— we believe our app can be widely adopted by both seniors who have the means to stay in continuous contact with their caregivers and by caregivers responsible for looking after seniors.

Thematic Coding

Thematic Coding to Function

1st Coding : 

Summarized daily lives of Seniors and Caregivers 

2nd Coding : 

Re-classified items from 1st coding into “Contact” and “Health” categories

(e.g., health data Seniors must share, health data Caregivers need to receive)

3rd Coding → Function Mapping :

• Indirect Communication 

Exchange indirect updates (e.g., plans for the day, moments when help is needed) to share everyday life

—  Similar to a standard calendar, this feature provides a single shared calendar that both the Senior and the Caregiver can view together, allowing each to see the other’s schedule. It also makes it easier to reach out directly or set up in-person appointments.

•  Healthcare Management

Track and immediately share completion of essential health actions (medication, meals, etc.) 

— By using objective markers, the app lets the Caregiver follow the Senior’s activities in real time. If the Senior fails to complete a required health task, the system prompts the Caregiver to check in—helping to support the Senior’s long-term well-being. 

•  Discomfort and Life Management 

If the Senior fails to respond within expected intervals, flag a potential issue and notify the Caregiver 

— Under the Healthcare Management feature, the app expects the Senior to respond at regular intervals; a missed response becomes an alert that something may be wrong. Even if the Senior can’t directly report a health issue, the Caregiver can quickly detect any irregularities. 

Final Function Flow

1. • Health-Task Checklist & Response Logs

A to-do list of essential health tasks for the Senior.

— When the Senior marks a task complete (or responds), a log entry is sent to the Caregiver.

— Seniors access this via a main-screen button; Caregivers review entries on the notification-log screen.

1. • Non-Response Alerts

If the Senior fails to respond to an item in the health-task checklist, a “no response” alert is automatically generated.

— This alert is sent to the Caregiver, who can view it on the notification-log screen.

1. • Shared Calendar

A shared calendar view for both Senior and Caregiver, accessible via a button on the main screen.

1. Main Dashboard

2. Health-Task Checklist   &   Log Screen (Response Logs of Health-Task Checklist & Non-Response Alerts)

3. Shared Calendar

4. User-type-specific demonstration

5. UI Considerations

• Keep the interface as simple as possible, given that the primary user is a Senior.

• Interview results showed that Seniors prefer blue in the app, so set input fields and buttons (except on the Dashboard) to blue.

• Emphasize a unified app experience by not separating the Caregiver view from the Senior view.

App Building    →  Link to Github

Environment

• React Native Expo

• Firebase Database

— Storage Data

1. Users Info (userID : Primary Key)

2. Alarms

3. Schedules

4. Responses (for Health-Task Checklist)

• Actual Workflow

• Health-Task Checklist   &   Log Screen (Response Logs of Health-Task Checklist & Non-Response Alerts)

• Shared Calendar

Future Development Directions

Auto-Input 

— To minimize unnecessary interactions for Seniors

• Automatically populate medication-reminder times by photographing prescriptions and similar documents.

• Based on entered wake-up and bedtime, segment the Senior’s active hours appropriately and schedule three meal reminders.

• Analyze regular appointments and proactively suggest applying the same settings in the future (e.g., “You have a hospital visit once a month—would you like to repeat this?”).