Interview transcripts for "The use of technology to address loneliness and social isolation among older adults: the role of social care providers"

Data collection method:

Adult social care commissioners and providers in Wales known to be commissioning or delivering community-based services to older adults (aged 65 years and over) were invited to take part in the study. Recruitment was supported by the Wales Centre for Public Policy who commissioned this research. We do not know who received invitations and so cannot calculate a response rate. Invitations stated that the research team were interested in understanding if and how technology was being used to build social connections and tackle loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Interviews were semi-structured and covered: the nature of organisations’ focus on loneliness and social isolation; the role of technology to address this in the pandemic; who the technology worked best for, how and why; positive and negative impacts of using technology to address loneliness and social isolation; and future plans for technology use as pandemic restrictions were lifted. Some interviewees had previously taken part in a related survey. Here researchers conducting the interviews could access and refer to the interviewees’ survey responses to prompt further discussion. The interview schedule was developed by the research team with input from an experts-by-experience group of older adults and the project steering group (consisting of colleagues in the WCPP and Welsh Government).