Personal Neighborhood Networks for Senior Citizen Support

As individuals age, issues such as forgetfulness, falling or exposure to elements can become serious problems that end up reducing their independence. Caretakers or family often accompany seniors when they wish to go out, even for something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood. The SafeNeighborhood project attempted to create a safety network to allow seniors more independence and provide support should it be necessary. The project was dependent on community ties and the social capital contained in them. However, in large modern cities, neighborhoods are no longer home to densely connected people, and most neighborhoods have a large floating population (eg., people who are there only for work.) While working on this project, we observed that seniors tend to create their own routines and their own personal networks, which could be leveraged for support. These personal neighborhoods are discussed in this paper, with pointers to further investigations.