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Explore the impact of technology on the elderly population, including issues like loneliness, discrimination, and financial exclusion. Learn about internet access, demographics on social media, and initiatives improving access to technology for older individuals.
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Old age – new technology?ICIL 2011 Old age - new technology?
An ageing population – NSO Old age - new technology?
What are the issues facing older people • Isolation and loneliness • Discrimination • Access to information • Access to ‘online deals’ – gas, electricity, phone, car/home insurance • Closure of ‘real’ facilities – post offices, village shops, banks • Financial exclusion Old age - new technology?
Loneliness and isolation • 2% of older people feel trapped in their own home • 6% of older people leave their house once a week or less • Nearly 200,000 older people in the UK don’t get help to get out of their house or flat • 17% of older people are in contact with family, friends and neighbours less than once a week and 11% are in contact less than once a month • Over half (51%) of all people aged 75 and over live alone • 36% of people aged 65 and over in the UK feel out of touch with the pace of modern life and 9% say they feel cut off from society • Half of all older people (about 5 million) say the television is their main company Old age - new technology?
Internet Access 2010 – Office of National Statistics Old age - new technology?
Logged in or Locked out? Consumer access to the internet in Wales – CFW 2009 Personal access to the internet - Wales Old age - new technology?
Demographics of Facebook UK 2010 clickymedia - http://www.clickymedia.co.uk/2010/01/facebook-user-statistics-january-2010/ Old age - new technology?
‘Culture has a far greater ability to exclude by afflicting stereotypes and labelling seniors as technophobes.’ Tracy Barton Old age - new technology?
Age UK – Agenda for Later Life ‘It is often presumed that older people are not interested in new technology and find it hard to get to grips with it.’ • Fear and lack of confidence rather than a lack of interest • Accessibility to the hardware and software • Use of jargon (‘PIN’, password, ID number) Old age - new technology?
Low skill base • Cabinet Office (2001) • low skills are more prevalent among older people and this lack of basic education has affected their confidence and willingness to learn. • This is easily confused with a resistance to change and lack of ambition contributing to society's negative opinion of older people (Blake, 1997; Cabinet Office, 2001; Seniornet, 1998). Old age - new technology?
What are the design/development issues? • Who designs the technology? • For whom are they designing it? • Are older people considered at the concept stage of IT design? Old age - new technology?
Managed Access to Audio Visual and Information Services - MAAVIS • Programme enables people to use video conferencing and the internet without any understanding of Microsoft or Apple operating systems. • Sheffield University • only one in every 50 residents in Sheffield care homes had used a qwerty keyboard. • Accessing social network sites, viewing online videos and listening to music. • The system´s design overcomes the resistance many elderly residents feel towards computers by simplifying the way users view and manoeuvre around software. Old age - new technology?
SERA An EU funded research project evaluating how people interact with talking domestic robots The long term goal is to create an assistive device to help people with their daily lives, whether that is with medication, rehabilitative exercise, or security in the home Old age - new technology?
Age Concern and Microsoft survey • Potential of the Internet to restore and maintain social networks. • 64% of users believe that a computer has made a great difference to their lives. • For 59%, email was discovered to be the principal technology for keeping in close contact with family and friends Old age - new technology?
Voluntary sector Approximately 25% of older computer users currently use technology to perform voluntary work Tweed & Quigley, 1999 Old age - new technology?
Negative • Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society, found that the more time people spent on the Internet the less time they spent communicating in a real environment. • Stanley raises concerns that residents within sheltered accommodation may retire to computers within their own rooms reducing their interaction with other residents. Old age - new technology?
Social exclusion/inclusion Strategy for Older People in Wales • Social inclusion • Improved access to public services • ‘…the development of IT skills among the over 50s help them to feel in touch.’ Old age - new technology?
Article 8 –private life • Extends to social relations and active participation in the wider life of the community. • Older people must remain full and involved members of the community and influence the delivery of services and formulation of policies that affect them. Old age - new technology?
Discrimination Equalities Act 2010 • The Equality Act 2010 includes provisions enabling a ban on age discrimination in the provision of services and public functions. • The ban requires secondary legislation, setting out the circumstances in which it would remain lawful to use age as a reason for treating people differently. • Consultation exercise Old age - new technology?
Questions • Should older people be required to adapt to new technology? • Does technology enable the objectives of social care to be realised more easily? If so, how? • Own home • Autonomy • Dignity • Preventative • Can technology increase isolation – the ‘wrinkly nerd’? • Can technology be a provider of care? • Aid call • Tagging dementia patients • Sensors in the home • Intelligent equipment in the home • CCTV • Is this a disappearing problem given that the baby boomers are up to speed with modern technology and do not need to be converted. They (we/I) will demand it. Old age - new technology?
