A human service technology can be defined as a set of institutionalized procedures aimed at
changing the physical, psychological, social, or cultural attributes of people in order to
transform them from a given status to a new prescribed status. (Hasenfeld, 1983, p. 111)
According to Tao (1995), “The core of technology is formed by the face-to-face
interactions between the provider, who distributes the service, and the client, in other
words, the recipient. Concrete results are obtained through that interaction” (p. 52).
Tao goes on to say that “the targets of technology are humans themselves. Various
techniques centered on how to take care of those humans or change them are
organized in the form of technology” (p. 52). In the words of Smith (2009,
p. 431), this can be interpreted to mean “human services technologies include both
what service providers do and how they do it.” In short, technology refers to various
methods provided in accordance with the status of its targets (clients) and is thought
to be concretely captured through an awareness of the problems of “what” to provide
and “how” to provide it in real settings.
Caregiving facilities provide “protective care” that is equivalent to Hasenfeld’s
(1983, p. 143) “people-sustaining” technology. In other words, this corresponds to
maintaining the current condition of the service recipient, preventing or delaying
deterioration, and assisting with activities of daily living.
Looking at job characteristics, caregiving jobs require collaborations between
multiple different occupations (Tao, 1995). “Multi-skilled workers” are a unique
characteristic of the business (Sekiguchi, 2015, p. 947) and caregiving home workers
(CHWs) act on a foundation of professionalism and volunteerism (Tao, 1995).
Concerning care, CHWs have a strongly rooted sense that it “should be done by
human hands,” as caregiving requires both physical and emotional labor.
Providing “hospitality” (Sekiguchi, 2015, p. 947) and communication are essential in caregiving services. Communication enables older adults to maintain innate
human emotional needs, such as the presence of self, a sense of well-being, and a
sense of accomplishment (Hamada, Okubo, & Onari, 2006, p. 112). Therefore,
careful listening, which allows one to build rapport with CHRs, is highly valued.
According to Shibata (2017), the sites of damage in the brain differ for each older
adult affected by dementia resulting in diverse “core symptoms.” Older adults with
dementia also have “peripheral symptoms” that arise due to unideal environmental
conditions. For example, a bad patient–caregiver relationship can exacerbate these
symptoms. Hence, practicing care based on the principles of “person-centered care”
and both understanding of and communication with CHRs are essential.
However, the communication aspects of the job can sometimes become a stressor
for caregiving home employees (Kanbe, 2015). Communication methods differ
depending on the CHWs’ skill level and the user’s ability. When dealing with
older adults with dementia, there are cases in which it is difficult for CHWs to
liven things up even during recreation, such as increasing their desire to participate in
games. Another issue is that it may be difficult to get older adults with dementia to
focus when presenting video content for recreation (Kuwahara, 2015).
Further, amid the complexity of the job and the ongoing labor shortage, upper
management demands CHWs to increase their efficiency and productivity.
Information Technology/Artificial Intelligence Innovations Needed for Better. . .
41
changing the physical, psychological, social, or cultural attributes of people in order to
transform them from a given status to a new prescribed status. (Hasenfeld, 1983, p. 111)
According to Tao (1995), “The core of technology is formed by the face-to-face
interactions between the provider, who distributes the service, and the client, in other
words, the recipient. Concrete results are obtained through that interaction” (p. 52).
Tao goes on to say that “the targets of technology are humans themselves. Various
techniques centered on how to take care of those humans or change them are
organized in the form of technology” (p. 52). In the words of Smith (2009,
p. 431), this can be interpreted to mean “human services technologies include both
what service providers do and how they do it.” In short, technology refers to various
methods provided in accordance with the status of its targets (clients) and is thought
to be concretely captured through an awareness of the problems of “what” to provide
and “how” to provide it in real settings.
Caregiving facilities provide “protective care” that is equivalent to Hasenfeld’s
(1983, p. 143) “people-sustaining” technology. In other words, this corresponds to
maintaining the current condition of the service recipient, preventing or delaying
deterioration, and assisting with activities of daily living.
Looking at job characteristics, caregiving jobs require collaborations between
multiple different occupations (Tao, 1995). “Multi-skilled workers” are a unique
characteristic of the business (Sekiguchi, 2015, p. 947) and caregiving home workers
(CHWs) act on a foundation of professionalism and volunteerism (Tao, 1995).
Concerning care, CHWs have a strongly rooted sense that it “should be done by
human hands,” as caregiving requires both physical and emotional labor.
Providing “hospitality” (Sekiguchi, 2015, p. 947) and communication are essential in caregiving services. Communication enables older adults to maintain innate
human emotional needs, such as the presence of self, a sense of well-being, and a
sense of accomplishment (Hamada, Okubo, & Onari, 2006, p. 112). Therefore,
careful listening, which allows one to build rapport with CHRs, is highly valued.
According to Shibata (2017), the sites of damage in the brain differ for each older
adult affected by dementia resulting in diverse “core symptoms.” Older adults with
dementia also have “peripheral symptoms” that arise due to unideal environmental
conditions. For example, a bad patient–caregiver relationship can exacerbate these
symptoms. Hence, practicing care based on the principles of “person-centered care”
and both understanding of and communication with CHRs are essential.
However, the communication aspects of the job can sometimes become a stressor
for caregiving home employees (Kanbe, 2015). Communication methods differ
depending on the CHWs’ skill level and the user’s ability. When dealing with
older adults with dementia, there are cases in which it is difficult for CHWs to
liven things up even during recreation, such as increasing their desire to participate in
games. Another issue is that it may be difficult to get older adults with dementia to
focus when presenting video content for recreation (Kuwahara, 2015).
Further, amid the complexity of the job and the ongoing labor shortage, upper
management demands CHWs to increase their efficiency and productivity.
Information Technology/Artificial Intelligence Innovations Needed for Better. . .
41