Bridging the digital divide in older adults: a study from an initiative to inform older adults about new technologies

Abstract

PurposeIn a society where technology progresses at an exponential rate, older adults are often unaware of the existence of different kinds of information and communication technologies (ICTs). To bridge the gap, we launched a 2-year project, during which we conducted focus groups (FGs) with demonstrations of ICTs, allowing older adults to try them out and to share their opinions. This study aimed at investigating how participants perceived this kind of initiative and how they reacted to different kinds of ICTs.Patients and methodsIn total, 14 FGs were conducted with community-dwelling older adults, with a frequency of two FGs on the same topic once per trimester. Twenty-three older adults (four men and 19 women) attended at least one FG but only nearly half of them were regular attendants (ten participating in at least five sessions). Age of participants ranged from 63 years to 88 years, with a mean of 77.1 years. All of them had completed secondary education. The analyses of the data were performed according to inductive thematic analysis.ResultsFour overarching themes emerged from the analysis. The first concerned participants’ motivation for and assessment of the project. The second theme identified the underlying factors of the “digital divide” between the younger and the older generations. The third theme concerned the factors of technology adoption among older adults. The fourth one identified participants’ attitudes toward assistive ICTs, designed specifically for older adults (“gerontechnologies”).Discussions and conclusionThis project encouraging older adults to be informed about different kinds of ICTs was positively rated. With regard to ICTs, participants perceived a digital divide. The underlying factors are generation/cohort effects, cognitive and physical decline related to aging, and negative attitudes toward technologies. However, more and more older adults adopt different kinds of ICTs in order to fit in with the society. Concerning assistive ICTs, they manifested a lack of perceived need and usefulness. Also, there was a negative image of end users of this kind of technologies. The so-called gerontechnologies specifically targeting older adults contain stigmatizing symbolism that might prevent them from adopting them.

Older adults and mobile technology: Factors that enhance and inhibit utilization in the context of behavioral health

“…Two qualitative studies [52,89] using focus groups and individual interviews of 63 older adults revealed that participants perceived themselves as too old to learn certain technologies [52]. Some older adults experience anxieties and fears that they will make fatal mistakes while using technology, such as inadvertently deleting a file or breaking the device, which facilitates a self-perception as being incapable of utilizing technology [34,70,90]. While this low technical confidence does not to hinder effectiveness or efficiency of using technology in the general population, one study directly compared the impact of technical confidence of older adults (ages 50-69) and young adults (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) on technology usage and found older adults' low technical confidence hindered both efficiency and effectiveness [37].…”

“…When there are no clear benefits to its utilization, such as maintaining autonomy and independence, the older adult is far more likely to disengage from or avoid technology [9,37,47,50,52,75,82,91]. Lack of interest may be due in part to: a perception that it does not fulfill a salient need [52]; an indirect reflection of other personal factors, such as anxiety, fear, or lack of self-efficacy [90]; or simply that time is better spent doing something else [52]. Some older adults report reaching a "technological plateau", at which there is no perceived utility in adapting again to new technologies [92].…”

Technology Acceptance and User-Centred Design of Assistive Exoskeletons for Older Adults: A Commentary

“…Older adults believe that learning to use new technologies is important to avoid feeling alienated from society [12]. They may also feel unable to cope with technology today [38].…”

“…In addition, relatively little is known about older adults' opinions on using exoskeletons, or assistive robots in general, for daily tasks in the home [10,11]. Issues with adoption and acceptance may be expected, since some older adults are slower to adopt and use new technologies compared to younger people [12]. Therefore, research providing user insights may be useful to help understand and optimise the acceptance and adoption of such devices by older adults.…”

Evolution on Cognitive Rehabilitation after Stroke: from Traditional Techniques to Smart and Personalised ICT Home-based Systems

“…Even, there are some studies focused on especially the acceptance of users in using their mobile phones to monitor health status [88,89]. Nonetheless, assistive technologies especially for cognitive rehabilitation still need to overcome significant barriers in order to be adopted by older people including: privacy, functionality, suitability for daily use, perceived need and usefulness, costs, accessibility, fear of dependence, lack of training and stigmatisation by using technologies specifically targeting older users ('gerontechnology') [90,91].…”