AGES: Activating and guiding the
engagement of seniors
Troubleshooting & Distress
Troubleshooting during the intervention
 There are various factors that can get in the way of smooth
delivery of the intervention. These might involve or include:
 Training environment: Ensure the room
has space for you to work, that it is well
aired and that you are comfortable. Make
sure the user has had something to drink.
Work at an appropriate pace.
 User is unwell: May require re-scheduling,
and if more than several days, liaison with
home or locations supervisor if longer. Be
aware that additional time might be
required to review if considerable time
lost between sessions. Record loss of time
in Research Log.
Troubleshooting during the intervention
 Technician is unwell: May require
rescheduling. Contact user if able, to make
another time, or contact supervisor to rearrange on your behalf.
 Questions about project: There may be queries
you are unable to answer immediately. Those
relating to computer and software should be
directed to your IT lead, and general queries
to project lead.
 Emergency assistance: May be required in the
case of accident or illness. Use your
emergency contact numbers s required and
record in Research Log.
Troubleshooting during the intervention
 User withdrawal: It is possible that after
consenting, a user may wish to withdraw from
the study. In this event we are unable to leave
them with the computer (as this will need to
be used by another user to replace them).
Enquire why the user wishes to withdraw,
record reasons and inform supervisor.
 Research Log: You will each have a Log to
record events, incidents and important
experiences. At the end, you will be asked to
return these so the project has an accurate
record of the experiences that you and users
have of the intervention.
Managing sad or distressing memories
 While it is always important to promote positive
emotions, experiences and recollections, we need to
recognize the potential that some might be negative or
distressing. This is probably most likely in the context of
recollection when collating life history materials.
 Given this, it is critical to ‘check in’ with users during the
intervention and bear the following in mind:
 Recollection of a sad or difficult time is
not necessarily bad, and at times we
need to explore and acknowledge
negative emotions.
Managing sad or distressing memories
 If sad or difficult memories are recalled,
don’t avoid them. Acknowledge them and
allow a little time to discuss to gain
perspective. Sharing memories offers an
opportunity to re-examine them.
 Respond with compassion and try to share
some understanding of the experience for
the user. But do steer to more positive
memories if you feel the person is
becoming distressed.
 Record any such experiences and
outcomes in your Research Log.
Managing sad or distressing memories
 On very rare occasions, this might lead to feelings of low
mood and require some follow up. This might occur if
you see signs of:
 intense anxiety or tearfulness,
 difficulty moving on from the experience
 Changes in eating, sleeping, or self-care habits,
 Withdrawal from regular activities.
Managing sad or distressing memories

What should you do:

Do not avoid the memory or experience.

Talk about the memory/experience and how the person
feels about it now

If the person wishes to discontinue, offer to come back
another time and/or arrange a time to catch up briefly
over the phone in the meantime.

Contact your locations or home supervisor to let them
know about the user’s reaction. Ask your supervisor to
keep you informed of any issues that arise about the
user of which that they become aware.

If longer-term signs of distress are identified, contact
your locations home supervisor or manager who can
arrange for professional support and counseling.

Document the reaction in your Research Log.
Managing anxiety
 We need to acknowledge that some users might experience anxiety
about learning to use computers and interact with social media.
There are a few things you can ensure to reduce this possibility:
 Make sure the environment is right for learning
(i.e., quiet, good temperature control), that the
user is well hydrated, and not ill.
 Use simple language and repeated
demonstration during training.
 Reassure users that it takes time to learn these
methods; hence the reason for 1 month of
training and 2 months of follow-up.
 Encourage users to reference their manuals.
Managing anxiety
 If anxiety arises:
 Stop the activity and try to calm the person.
Encourage steady, regular breathing to calm
them.
 Talk about the distress and re-assure the user it
can be managed. Use your own examples of
learning, to show it takes time to master many of
these methods and that we’re all still learning.
 Take time to have tea/coffee, suggesting a return
to the training following this and with the user’s
permission.
 As noted earlier, inform your locations or home
supervisor about the distress and document this in
your Research Log.