Smart Technology for Older Adults

It’s a common misconception that older adults don’t want to use smart technology, says UW acting instructor André Pereira dos Santos. 

UW acting instructor André Pereira dos Santos 

 

Smart technology is a term that typically refers to technologies that connect to the internet and other devices (for example, lights that can be controlled by your phone), or have some type of automation (for example, home locks with an automatic timer). Recently, dos Santos, along with UW School of Nursing colleagues (Vitor Oliveira, Oleg Zaslavsky, and Allison Webel), published an editorial about smart technology for older adults in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. The editorial highlights the potential benefits of technology, what stands in the way of older adults using them, and encourages health care providers to talk about them with patients.

The common sentiment isn’t entirely wrong: it is true that older adults as a group use smart technologies less than their younger counterparts. In dos Santos’ own life, he has seen the difference in generations. “When I see my mom using, for example, smartphones to talk with me by video, it’s completely different than when I see my niece and nephew talking with me… There is a [knowledge] gap between young generations and older generations.

“When we think about young generations, we understand that these smart technologies are part of their lives because they’re born with these new technologies,” said dos Santos. But it’s a mistake to think this generational gap can’t be bridged.

“Research shows that when older adults see clear benefits and receive adequate support, they are willing and able to learn and use smart technology,” wrote dos Santos and colleagues in the editorial.

Dos Santos has seen for himself how smart technology can help older adults’ health. He works at Webel’s lab, which studies how interventions like exercise could help older adults with HIV. They give study participants wearable technology, such as a smartwatch, that can track help information like sleep, and time spent physically active versus inactive. In his work, dos Santos says he’s seen how sometimes just having a smartwatch can motivate people to get more active every day.

Beyond activity trackers, the utility of smart technology is almost endless. For example, technology at home that can do everything from automating home lighting to locks and thermostats “is associated with the independence of older adults,” said dos Santos. “So smart technology allows older adults to live more independently.”

Many types of electronic devices can also provide social connection through texts and video calls, as well as entertainment, the editorial points out. Some smart technology can help in an emergency, such as medical alert systems.

Dos Santos’ hope, as described in the editorial, is to see physicians take a more active role in helping their patients with smart technology. He envisions healthcare providers sitting down with older adults and showing them exactly how to use an app, device, or other technology that might benefit their health. But in the meantime, there are other ways for interested adults to become more tech-savvy.

“Start small,” suggests dos Santos. Start with a device you already have or know a bit about, such as a smartphone, and get more familiar with what it can do and ways you can use it. You can ask family members for help learning technology or use some of the many local and national resources available to become more confident with technology.

For anyone hoping to use technology for their health, such as how to keep track of medical information digitally, how to participate in virtual appointments, and more, Link to Care WA (click to learn more: https://linktocarewa.org/) is a resource designed to help you use technology for health purposes. Their website has useful tips and explanations, and a hotline for live support with a staff member. The AARP also hosts a program called Senior Planet (click to learn more: https://seniorplanet.org/), with various online classes, many of which help older adults learn more about different technologies.

If you have technology questions, Tech Connect Washington (click to learn more: https://techconnectwa.org) is a hotline that provides “FREE technical support to Washington residents to help them engage in a virtual environment”, as described on their website, and they can help in a number of languages.

Dos Santos hopes to see these powerful and helpful technologies used by more older adults to aid their independence and overall quality of life. “The goal is to empower older adults to embrace these technologies and enhance their daily lives,” ends the editorial.

Read the editorial on the Journal of Gerontological Nursing website : https://journals.healio.com/doi/10.3928/00989134-20241209-01