To better serve ageing populations, technology must be designed with empathy, accessibility, and simplicity in mind. This includes larger text, clearer audio, intuitive interfaces, and voice-activated systems that accommodate reduced mobility or vision. Devices like smart home sensors, health-monitoring wearables, and telehealth platforms can enhance safety, independence, and access to care.
FF, I remember the floppy disc's, in fact, I am in the process of cleaning out my archives and I found back ups from the 80s. We were cracking up that we have kept vital documentation on an obsolete resource. I felt okay just breaking them in half and in the garbage. KISS, yep, I wonder if they know how stupid technology has truly made them?
It is a subject amongst our friends and us that we are being forced to accept technology and everything that means, whether we like it or not.
But when it comes to the cellphone, forgetaboutit. I am ready to throw it out the window, the upgrade is so confusing. Plus the size is now too small (age related eye sight issue), I need something similar to the size of my computer monitor, but don't have a purse large enough to carry it. Maybe I need an Elsbeth tote bag !!
Our smart TV need two remotes just to turn on. Well, that's pretty dumb. Give me a TV where there are still controls on the side for lighten the screen, for volume, for channel selections, heck even on/off as sometimes it can take us numerous tries just to turn the darn thing off.
And really now, who needs to use a cellphone to turn on the dishwasher, to turn on lights, to lock the front door? Will the next generation be that of people sitting on their sofa and never getting up, except for meals (again cooking via cellphones) and using the restroom?
Did you seriously NOT know this is a problem and has an easy solution?
In some other nations there are restrictions that mean that devices that do certain things must be compatible with one another. That is to say a smart phone has a charger and that charger should be compatible with other phone chargers. This allows for people to have more and better control, understanding, and it avoids a door hung with all sort of cord devices that work with different systems.
I don't think Americans are good at making things older for seniors. It really has little interest in seniors overall and feels they should get on with their final exits. This gets us our chrome, our microsoft, our apple and never the twain shall understand one another. UNLESS you are young and ALL of it is just sort of built in to your brain at age 2.
It's all pretty fascinating, but I have long said, should I get to the ALF, first question: Do you have a tech concierge? Guess what? Many do.
Currently our TV set up here has four remotes. My once tech savvy husband, who has early dementia, is struggling more to use them. I know I will have to have a cheat sheet when the whole system gets whacky. And it has.
I doubt high tech will make it far into the aging population. There are too many unresolved, basic issues with it as far as personal use is concerned. It might help more in hospital settings.
In my experience simplicity and ease of use are the single most intimidating roadblocks to modern tech, "it's easy" isn't so easy when you've never done it before and more often than not the people who are supposed to help you really don't have a deep enough understanding of their systems to walk you through any complications that arise (if there are any real live people available at all)
Another problem is storing information in the Cloud, many people (not just elders) have a deep distrust of any outside agency having potential access to their data.
Oh and one other roadblock - price. Many of these assistive devices are prohibitively expensive for people who are just squeaking by on their pensions.
I just this morning was talking to my close friend, whose brother is assigning him as PoA, Executor, etc. My friend's brother, in his late 60s, chooses to not have even an email address.
Currently there is plenty of technology that is helpful to elders. But once a person's cognition wanes, all the tech in the world won't help them unless someone else is managing it for them.
AI-drive robots are probably going to fill in where and when voluntary tech adoption and use stops.
I think Boomers may possibly be the last tech-ignorant and tech-resistant generation.