Digital Support, Delivered Personally

The deployment of technology in today’s environment has led to significant advancements in communication, socialization, and information sharing.

We hypothesized that the benefits of these technologies might be underutilized in the geriatric population. Previous methods of assessing an individual’s capacity for independent living relied on tools such as the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Instrumental Activities

of Daily Living (IADL).

In recent years, with a proliferation of devices requiring technology, there exists a need for new instruments to evaluate the functional capacity of older individuals in the understanding and use of technology.

We developed a structured survey to investigate the frequency of utilization of technology (cell phones, computers, blood pressure monitors, etc.) and the application and understanding of these technologies by older patients (50–90+yrs., n=127) at a geriatric out-patient university clinic. Our results indicated that while >97% of individuals surveyed possessed a cell phone, only 83% made calls daily, with less than 55% utilizing text messaging. 83% of individuals owned a computer and only9% lacked internet connectivity. 

There were several differences in the understanding and use of technological devices between the octogenarian-nonagenarian compared with younger age groups. Never the less, 75% of seniors were either interested in learning more about their cell phones and how to use the different features, or already knew how to use their cellphones. In summary, our results showed that older individuals were utilizing technology and were interested in advancing their technological skills.

It is important to test the ability of older adults in their understanding and use of technology because it's appropriate use can be helpful for monitoring health, security, 

communication and maintaining an independent lifestyle. 

Keywords: technology, elderly, function, communication 

The study of seniors’ perception of the use of technology is the main topic of this article.

This is relevant because of the topicality and the need to understand how active aging and the use of new technology are realized in a seniors’ dedicated program in Romania.

In the literature review section, the following concepts are presented: the role of technology in everyday life, the types of technologies seniors use, the meaning of information and communication technology concept, and understanding the concept of loneliness and seniors’ needs.

The second section of the article consists of qualitative research using based on a case study (in-depth interviews and participatory observation) on the Telefonul Vârstnicului Program (Senior People Phone Line) in Romania.

The purpose of the research is to identify the seniors’ needs, faced problems, reached needs, and the qualities a social worker should have.

The main findings of the research emphasize the fact that senior citizens are guided to various state institutions, providing them with useful, verified, and official information. Older people face several problems, both financial and medical, but they also need to communicate to relieve loneliness and meet new people.

The digital skills of the elderly are quite limited but have been growing in recent years. 

Digital technology increasingly plays an important role in supporting older adults to live longer and healthier lives.

However, research consistently identifies barriers to technology usage for some older adults, particularly as they age.

This study draws on data from a survey of older adults (aged 65 years and older) to improve our understanding of the role that confidence with technology plays in older adults’ technology acceptance.

Methods: We analysed technology usage and acceptance data from 547 Queensland older adults (53% male, 47% female) gathered as part of a larger survey examining how technology may assist the development of an in-home heat early warning system for older Queenslanders. Respondents fell within five age range groups, 65–69 years (24%), 70–74 years (29%), 75–79 years (28%), 80–84 years (12%) and 85+ (7%).

Results: Respondents from the highest age range groups were more apprehensive about, and were slower to adopt, new technologies. Moreover, overall use of technology also declined with age, implying the need to consider ageing cohorts when considering technology acceptance.

When looking at digital confidence, our results highlight that age was the only independent variable that predicted (inversely) digital confidence, and somewhat counterintuitively, frustration with technology. This may suggest that older cohorts avoid using new technology to avoid the risk of frustration. Europe PMC Funders Author Manuscripts Europe PMC Funders Author Manuscripts.

Conclusions: Results from the survey data add to our knowledge of the patterns of technology usage and acceptance by older adults. Our analysis underscores the need to consider variables such as confidence or frustration with technology when considering whether cutting-edge technologies will benefit older users.