Are older adults ready to adopt new technology?

AS the baby boomer generation ages into their 70s, 80s, and 90s, the number of older adults facing mobility challenges — such as difficulties with walking, seeing, hearing, memory, cognition, or performing daily tasks like bathing or attending medical appointments — is expected to rise significantly.

However, the question remains: Are they prepared to embrace new technologies to improve their quality of life? Autonomy is important for every older adult, yet many may resist the introduction of new technologies.

This resistance became starkly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when older adults struggled to access treatments, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

In response, numerous organisations are now developing solutions, such as mobility service apps, to address these challenges.

In the fast-paced world of technology, innovations designed to enhance daily life are becoming increasingly important, particularly for older adults.

However, recent studies have shown that older adults often experience anxiety when faced with new technology, fearing the learning process, implementation challenges and potential security risks involved in integrating these advancements into their daily routines.

One initiative aimed at enhancing access to healthcare services is the use of mHealth apps, which are commonly used to educate users about preventive healthcare measures.

These apps also serve purposes such as disease surveillance, treatment support, epidemic outbreak tracking, and chronic disease management.

However, there are relatively few interventions specifically related to mobility service applications for older adults with mobility challenges, highlighting the need for more research and attention in this area.

The adoption of new technology varies significantly between older adults in urban and rural areas.

Older adults from urban areas tend to be more open-minded about new technology, while those from rural areas often find it more challenging.

Notably, despite these differences, both urban and rural older adults shared similar struggles with complex processes, largely due to short-term memory challenges.

Additionally, the need for guided, in-person learning from close ones, such as children, partners, or relatives, was highlighted as a crucial factor.

This personalised support can enhance their understanding of the technology’s usability, thereby boosting the adoption of mobility apps among older adults.

Indeed, the discovery of effective usability features is crucial to ensuring that older adults embrace the benefits of technological innovation provided by mobile apps.

Older adults value the usability features of a mobility app, as it can facilitate daily tasks like grocery shopping and medical appointments, proving beneficial for those with mobility limitations.

This is especially important for those living in rural areas, where mobility apps offer convenient transportation options, filling the gaps left by traditional services such as buses.

A deeper understanding of the needs and capabilities of these features, which enhance the usability of mobile apps, enables developers and designers to create more practical applications.

This, in turn, can promote a shift in how older adults perceive mobile apps, encouraging them to integrate these tools into their everyday lives.

Moreover, the multifaceted antecedents such as ethical considerations (e.g., autonomy, dignity, privacy, liability, stigmatization and trustworthiness), social influences (e.g., social adherence, social connectedness, social interaction, social motivation), personal factors (e.g., digital literacy, health conditions, open-mindedness, self-efficacy, and technology anxiety), usability elements (e.g., ease of use, enjoyment, usefulness, reliability, and safety), and environmental conditions (e.g., accessibility and environmental conduciveness) and consequences (such as quality of life) of older adults’ adoption of mobility service app services offer valuable insights for many stakeholders.

These stakeholders include app developers, businesses, NGOs, community organisations, and governmental bodies.

In this regard, companies specialising in technological development and policymakers focused on the well-being of older adults can leverage these insights by creating more intuitive designs tailored to older adults’ needs.

Businesses can exploit these findings to develop services that integrate seamlessly with mobility service apps, potentially unlocking new markets.

Collaboration with NGOs and community organisations can enhance outreach efforts, ensuring broader accessibility and support for older adults.

Additionally, government initiatives play an important role in promoting technology adoption among older adults, enhancing their quality of life by fostering autonomy.

Facilitating ease of learning, ensuring reliable support systems, and creating user-friendly interfaces are essential strategies for fostering technology adoption among older adults.

By recognising and addressing the diverse challenges and preferences of this demographic, developers can create more inclusive and accessible digital solutions.

This approach not only benefits older adults but also offers significant advantages to developers, businesses, NGOs, community organisations, and the government, fostering a more connected and supportive community for all.

Ensuring that technology adoption among older adults is supported through thoughtful design, robust support systems, and inclusive policies will pave the way for a more digitally inclusive society.

• Clarice Chua Sze Wee, PhD candidate, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus

The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sarawak Tribune.