Living Senior Labs, ecosistemas de co-creación e innovación abierta con personas mayores: revisión sistemática de la literatura en Ciencias Sociales

Technology and Quality of Life of Older People in Times of COVID: A Qualitative Study on Their Changed Digital Profile

The situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic brought negative consequences such as social isolation, limited access to routine health and social care services, and lack of self-esteem, especially for older people. In this context, technology took on an important role as the main means of communication and service delivery. The main objective of this study is to analyze the situation of the elderly and their access to technological resources in the time of COVID-19. Based on a qualitative methodology, 58 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people between 65 and 90 years old in Portugal. The results reveal specific difficulties in the use of this type of digital devices and a change in the digital use profile of this age group, characterized by more frequent use of digital devices such as smartphones, the incorporation of certain services such as video calls, and uses associated with communication and entertainment. This study shows that attitudes toward technology among the elderly should be studied further, and these results should be considered to develop and implement training programs specially designed for this age group in order to contribute to their well-being and quality of life.

Use and perception of gerontechnology: differences in a group of Spanish older adults

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the profile of use of gerontechnology in Spanish older adults considering their age group (60–70; 71–80 and over 80 years) and to discern whether groups of subjects with similar characteristics can be established to ascertain which factors are behind the profile of frequent gerontechnology use.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study is presented to understand the profile of use of gerontechnology in Spanish older adults. The sample comprised 497 participants (aged between 60 and 94 years).

Findings

The results show that, even though most participants consider technology to be useful in their daily lives, there is still a lack of knowledge on how to use it, especially among older subjects. This highlights the importance of promoting technological cocreation initiatives such as senior living labs.

Research limitations/implications

Other researchers are encouraged to include the voices of older adults using gerontechnology in further studies.

Practical implications

If we want to increase the acceptance of technology by older adults, we must first let them take part in the design of the technologies they will use.

Social implications

This research provides promising data that should merit attention to contribute to the well-being and quality of life of older adults in a society where currently technology is a key part in every sphere of our daily life.

Originality/value

The value of this research lies in the implications of “aging in place” studies today.