Community Service · Summer 2025 · Hanoi
Learning to Listen from Older People
A summer of volunteering showed me that care can begin with a clean room, a patient conversation, and the willingness to listen.
01
More than tidying a room
As Vice President of Seed of Hope, I spent two months taking part in volunteer activities at the Hanoi Chung Tay Center for Older People. Twice a week, my friends and I helped clean and rearrange shared living spaces and spent time listening to the residents.
At first, I thought our main contribution would be practical: sweeping, wiping surfaces, sorting belongings, and making the rooms more comfortable. After several visits, however, I realized that the moments when we sat down and listened mattered just as much.
02
A question that stayed with me
The residents told us stories about their past and their daily lives. Their wish to talk reminded me of my grandparents, who also enjoy asking questions and keeping up with the world around them. I began to think more carefully about how difficult everyday digital tasks can be for older people.
What if they could ask for the weather, news, or information without opening a phone, finding the right application, or waiting for a family member? That question became one of the motivations behind MIMI, my voice-first smart home assistant.
03
Designing around people
When older users tried the prototype, they asked MIMI to speak more slowly and clearly and to understand different ways of asking the same question. Those comments changed how I evaluated the system: a correct answer is not enough if it is difficult to hear or understand.
I do not think technology can replace conversation between grandparents and grandchildren. I hope it can make small daily tasks easier and give older people another way to reach information independently. The summer taught me that useful technology starts by paying attention to the person in front of it.
What stayed with me
“Sometimes helping begins not with a solution, but with sitting down and listening.”