A more-inclusive approach to technology design can increase adoption of aging-services technology and tap its potential to help older adults age well, says a new article. New policies and education can also play a role.

Inclusive Design

Technology designers need to better understand how older adults may use technology and to include older adults and caregivers in technology design. Better communication can also raise understanding of technology and lead to more adoption, says “Technology and aging: the jigsaw puzzle of design, development and distribution,” authored by Chaiwoo Lee and published in Nature Aging on Nov. 22, 2022.

The article points to the need to “challenge assumptions characterizing older adults as a uniform group.” Assumptions about older adults have “led to gaps in truly understanding users, and prevented designers, developers and marketers from fully considering the breadth and dynamic nature of various factors that drive adoption and use,” Lee wrote. Instead, technology designers should recognize the breadth of social settings and environments in which older adults could use technology.

Gaining input from older adults will help designers better understand older adults’ needs, generate ideas, validate concepts, and evaluate designs, said the article. Lee also recommended that technology designers and producers consult with caregivers and community members who work with older adults on choosing technology and making housing decisions.

Policy

Lee addressed the importance of supporting universal access to platform technologies and systems such as broadband and smartphones or tablets. “Equity and inclusion should be a goal for the development and distribution of new technologies to ensure that benefits are delivered to older adults and families in different areas and situations,” said the article. Infrastructure development should also incorporate these goals, as relates to public health.

Education

Guidelines for age-friendly design often focus on readability and user-friendly graphics and menus, which may not apply to in-home technologies. These guidelines should encompass a broader range of possibilities, such as interfaces using speech or motion, increased automation, and integration with everyday products and services, Lee wrote.

Standardizing terms such as “smart home” can also lead to greater understanding and technology adoption.

Potential on Inclusivity in Technology

When people with diverse demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds and life experiences understand what technology can do, older adults and those who serve them are more likely to adopt technology and reap its benefits. Effective communication can be a bridge.

LeadingAge CAST Policy Efforts

LeadingAge CAST’s Technology and Telehealth policy efforts advocate for broadband access in rural areas and affordable housing.

One policy goal works to extend the subsidized broadband connectivity rates for health care providers in rural areas to additional aging services providers by amending the Social Security Act. The other seeks to create funding opportunities for congregate affordable low-income housing providers to collectively apply for and receive broadband internet connectivity to the building and to their residents’ units, to ensure equitable access to services.