This cross-sectional study investigated staff’s attitudes towards the use of mobile telepresence robots in long-term care (LTC) homes in western Canada. We drew on a Health Technology Assessment Core Model 3.0 to design a survey examining attitudes towards nine domains of mobile telepresence robots. Staff, including nurses, care staff, and managers, from two LTC homes were invited to participate. Statistical analysis of survey data from 181 participants revealed that overall, participants showed positive attitudes towards features and characteristics, self-efficacy on technology use, organizational aspects, clinical effectiveness, and residents and social aspects; neutral attitudes towards residents’ ability to use technology, and costs; and negative attitudes towards safety and privacy. Participants who disclosed their demographic backgrounds tended to exhibit more positive attitudes than participants who did not. Content analysis of textual data identified specific concerns and benefits of using the robots. We discuss options for implementing mobile telepresence robots in LTC.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting restrictions on physical access to long-term care homes culminated in health declines for older adults living there and their families. Knowledge gaps exist regarding maintaining social connectedness when physically separated. The study aimed to explore family members’ perceptions of the impact that restrictions on physical access to long-term care homes had on the experience of social connectedness between family members and older adults living in long-term care. The method used was a qualitative description, using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Themes arising from inductive qualitative content analysis of 21 interviews with family members included: (a) lack of connection threatening mental, emotional health, and physical health; (b) navigating trust in the unknown; (c) feelings of stress and anxiety for family members; and (d) technology – an asset, but not for everyone. Study findings suggest more emphasis should be placed on supporting social connections between older adults and their families in the context of long-term care beyond COVID-19.

Older adults living in residential care often experience challenges in sustaining meaningful social relationships, which can result in compromised health and well-being. Online social networking has the potential to mitigate this problem, but few studies have investigated its implementation and its effectiveness in maintaining or enhancing well-being. This pilot study used a cluster-randomized pre–post design to examine the feasibility of implementing a 12-week group-based technology-training intervention for older adults (n = 48) living in residential care by exploring how cognitive health, mental health, and confidence in technology were impacted. Analysis of variance revealed significant increases in life satisfaction, positive attitudes toward computer use, and self-perceived competence among participants who received the intervention, but increased depressive symptoms for the control group. These findings suggest that, despite challenges in implementing the intervention in residential care, group-based technology training may enhance confidence among older adults while maintaining or enhancing mental health.

Dans cet article, nous étudions l'axiologie des techniques des discours écologistes de la décroissance à l'aune de celle du philosophe français Gilbert Simondon. Cette articulation fertile permet de montrer, premièrement, que les discours de la décroissance n’évaluent les techniques qu’à partir de leurs usages ; deuxièmement, elle explique pourquoi une telle axiologie, praxéologique plutôt que technologique, est incapable d'influer sur le progrès technique. À partir de Simondon, nous montrons notamment que la pensée de la décroissance ignore la distinction entre information et énergie au sein des réalités techniques, distinction pourtant nécessaire si l'on souhaite relier l’étude des techniques et l’écologie de façon adéquate et constructive.

Hospitalized older adults are at high risk of falling. The HELPER system is a ceiling-mounted fall detection system that sends an alert to a smartphone when a fall is detected. This article describes the performance of the HELPER system, which was pilot tested in a geriatric mental health hospital. The system’s accuracy in detecting falls was measured against the hospital records documenting falls. Following the pilot test, nurses were interviewed regarding their perceptions of this technology. In this study, the HELPER system missed one documented fall but detected four falls that were not documented. Although sensitivity (.80) of the system was high, numerous false alarms brought down positive predictive value (.01). Interviews with nurses provided valuable insights based on the operation of the technology in a real environment; these and other lessons learned will be particularly valuable to engineers developing this and other health and social care technologies.

To address the issue of falls, which are increasing as the population ages, an intelligent video-monitoring system is being developed. The aim of the study is to explore caregivers’ perceptions of and receptiveness to a prototype of this fall detection system. A cross-sectional mixed-method study was carried out with individual interviews of 18 caregivers. Statistical frequencies and content analysis were conducted (SPSS and N’Vivo). The results show that most participants (n = 15/18) liked the intelligent video-monitoring system and were willing to use it. They would worry less if they could be alerted if a care recipient fell, but they were concerned about privacy and cost. Participants had a positive perception of the system and expressed their wishes regarding the kind of alert and the person to contact in case of a fall.

This article focuses on the production of bone tools during the seventh millennium cal BC. A large number of fishhooks and waste from fishhook production have been found at the sites of Sævarhelleren and Viste cave, in western Norway. The data have been studied by means of the chaîne opératoire concept, meaning that the artefacts are described and analysed in order to identify the different steps in the production process and to characterize the technology in a comparative northern European perspective. The result shows that bone tools and fishhooks were crafted in a similar way at these two sites, with techniques that were mastered by all makers, and in close relation to stone tool production. When compared to other contemporaneous sites, the technology resembles the Mesolithic bone technology of north-eastern Europe. It thus contradicts the hypothesis of a strong connection between western Norway and the Maglemose cultural group in southern Scandinavia and northern Germany.

John Evans was a key actor in the establishment of high human antiquity in 1859, and his pioneering role in launching the study of ancient stone implements is still celebrated today. However, scholars have overlooked the fact that Evans actually forged this contribution by shifting practices and preoccupations from coins to flint, from one well-established antiquarian domain in which he excelled, to another, new and as yet untested, domain. While providing relevant information on Evans' numismatics, this article shows how these transfers bear successively on the documentation of stone implements (terminology, descriptions, illustrations), their authentication (with regards to frauds and experimentation) and indeed their interpretation (the identification and explanation of their formal variability). Besides serving as an instructive historical case in ‘trans-disciplinarity’, the recognition of this initial numismatic imprint on the study of stone tools also has several consequences for current practices and interpretations in Palaeolithic archaeology.

Thirty-six Atlantic flesh-hooks are documented, classified and discussed after critical evaluation of previously identified examples and the addition of new ones. A chronological progression is shown from the more simple classes to the more complex from 1300 to 800 cal BC, but even the latter examples begin as early as c.1100 cal BC. Although highly distinctive, the Atlantic series derives ultimately from similar hooked instruments to the east and newly recognized Sicilian examples introduce an alternative path of dissemination from the more usually accepted intermediary route of the Urnfield culture. The rarity of flesh-hooks is striking and understanding of their social role needs to take into account not only their marked individuality in terms of technological construction or iconographic features, but also their relationship to other contemporary prestige feasting gear. The distributions of flesh-hooks and rotary spits are mutually exclusive over most of Atlantic Europe; thus, not only did they function differently at a practical level, but also at an ideological one. On the other hand, flesh-hooks and cauldrons have very similar distributions but they have a paucity of direct associations. Rather than implying a limited functional relationship, this is interpreted as resulting from their different symbolic meanings and thus different depositional practices. The zoomorphic imagery encountered on Atlantic spits and occasionally on flesh-hooks is found to be unique to each instrument and thus seen to contrast with that of the Urnfield world, suggesting the signalling of tribal or clan identity rather than an over-arching symbolism.

We investigate the impact of innovative work practices on working conditions. We use a unique French dataset providing information on individual workers for year 1998. New work practices which play a key role in the success of the new economy, include job rotation and the use of quality norms. Working conditions are captured by occupational injuries as well as indicators of mental strain. Using Rubin’s causal model, we show that, even after controlling for employee and job characteristics and correcting for sample selection bias, workers involved in the new work practices still face working conditions that are significantly worse than those of non innovative workers.