Older adults want more input on tech used in their care

Older adults are often left out of decisions surrounding technology related to their care, such as location trackers and companion robots, new research finds.

Clara Berridge, associate professor of social work at the University of Washington, studies issues facing older adults, in particular technology that can support care or a person’s ability to live independently.

She recently published two articles related to older adults and technology. In articles in the Journal of Elder Policy and Frontiers in Psychology, Berridge explores older adults’ opinions of companion robots, finding that such devices may not provide the blanket comfort or utility that creators presume—and that older adults have an interest in data protections.

“Older adults have been learning about, adapting, and integrating technology solutions into their lives for longer than anyone,” Berridge says. “Older adults’ feelings about technologies on offer to them for care and living at home, and their creative use, resistance, and other interactions with these technologies should be taken seriously.

“So much research, time, and money has been focused on pushing acceptance of technologies that could be better spent enabling control by older adults over direction, purpose, and design.”

Here, Berridge explains the importance of involving older adults in the design and use of technology: