This document discusses developing tools to help family caregivers support obese older adults in making healthy lifestyle changes. A team is combining behavioral science, design thinking and technology to create coaching tools for caregivers. The tools will apply the stages of change theory, add emotional elements to target behaviors, and use feedback loops to guide caregivers through helping their loved ones progress or relapse. The goal is to empower caregivers and make healthy living easier for those they support.

1. Coaching
Caregivers
HELPING PEOPLE SHAPE HABITS

2. We are transforming caregiving
by creating tools for family
caregivers taking care of obese
older adults.
We are combining behavioral science, human-centered design, and new
technology to support caregivers and their loved ones.

3. Why do family caregivers, who perform a critical
and difficult job, get so little attention and
support?
Family caregivers suffer from higher levels of stress and depression; have lower
levels of subjective well-being and physical health.

4. What tools can be created for caregivers that want
to start the journey of health behavior change?
The “typical” U.S. caregiver is a 46-year-old woman who works outside the
home and spends more than 20 hours a week providing care to her mother.

5. How can we support family caregivers that are
trying to motivate loved ones to adopt healthier
lifestyles?
Obesity effects the daily activities of older adults, making them more dependent
on caregivers for basic tasks such as walking a distance or going shopping.

6. We are using a dynamic approach.
Our solution is designed to emphasize equally both the process and the
outcome, and can be adapted to one’s lifestyle.

7. We will apply the Stage of Change theory to coach
caregivers to identify/recognize what stage of
change their loved one is in.
We will use the power of their relationship to drive health behavior change.

8. Stage Theory
PRECONTEMPLATION CONTEMPLATION PREPARATION ACTION MAINTENANCE
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
CIT
CIT
CIT
CIT
CIT
E
E
E
EM
EM
ME
ME
ME
EN
EN
NT
NT
NT
T
T
ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR
APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY
R
R
R
R
ER
GE
GE
GE
GE
G
AN
AN
AN
AN
AN

9. We will add emotional elements to the stages to
“crispify” target intervention behaviors.
We will put the patient at the heart of the process by building empathy for them.

10. Emotion
EX
CIT
EM
EN
T
ENTHUSIASM FEAR
APATHY ANXIETY
R
GE
AN

11. Relapse is built into this experience to guide the
caregiver on how to help the patient who
regresses.
We will use audio-visual feedback loops to nudge the caregiver and the patient.

12. Relapse
PRECONTEMPLATION CONTEMPLATION PREPARATION ACTION MAINTENANCE
EX
EX
EX
EX
EX
CIT
CIT
CIT
CIT
CIT
EM
EM
EM
EM
EM
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
T
T
T
T
T
ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR ENTHUSIASM FEAR
APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY APATHY ANXIETY
R
R
R
R
R
GE
GE
GE
GE
GE
AN
AN
AN
AN
AN
RELAPSE
EX
CIT
EM
EN
T
FEAR
ENTHUSIASM
APATHY ANXIETY
R
GE
AN

13. Meet the team
Our team is composed of generalists with a specialization in behavioral science,
human-centered design and technology.

14. Radhika Bhalla
Radhika is an architect, designer and a researcher who specializes in human
experience and behavior design, a process-oriented approach that applies
techniques from social science, business, design and technology, to the
healthcare industry. She has prior work experience in global health/public health
in countries like India, Ghana, Rwanda, etc. At present she is exploring the
relationship between environments, products and services in the healthcare
industry in U.S., and how they can inspire change and transform lives.

15. Stephanie Habif, EdD, MS, CHES
Steph specializes in behavior design and strategy for technology start-ups,
advertising agencies, and health care companies. She has over 15 years as an
academic practitioner, and currently conducts her research and design work at
Stanford University. Dr. Habif also has worked as a private health coach to
adults with lifestyle diseases like obesity. She has an overwhelming desire to
mobilize resources towards evidence-based, behavior-driven, user-centric
health care solutions.

16. Raveesh Bhalla
A passionate smartphone geek, Raveesh is a Computer Science Engineering
senior who has doing mobile development for over two years now. His first
mobile phone was a Nokia N95, and he immediately fell in love with the ability
to extend the device’s capabilities by installing third-party applications. He
immediately became a firm believer that smartphones have the power to be the
most personal devices ever, and that the key lies in providing users with as
much control over personalization as possible.

17. Contact Us
radhika@ideasyncrasy.com
steph@habifhealth.com
raveesh@appsculture.com

18. Thank You
ROCK HEALTH!