Mobile and Wearable Technology Needs for Aging in Place: Perspectives from Older Adults and Their Caregivers and Providers

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2016:225:486-90.

Abstract

There is an increasing number of wearable trackers and mobile devices in the burgeoning world of digital health, the purpose of the study is to explore the role of these mobile and wearable tools among older adults aging in place. We conducted a cross sectional study using individual interviews with older adults and surveys with their caregivers or providers. We interviewed 29 residents living in a retirement community, and surveyed 6 caregivers or providers. The older adults had an average age of 88 years, most did not express interests on technology and heavily relied on providers for health tracking, while their professional caregivers or providers saw a great need to access older adults' health information collected from these mobile and wearable tools. Educating the older old on the benefits of mobile and wearable tools may address such discrepancy on needs of adopting mobile and wearable tools for aging in place.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Caregivers / statistics & numerical data*
  • Clothing
  • Female
  • Health Services Needs and Demand*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / statistics & numerical data*
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Technology Assessment, Biomedical*
  • Telemedicine / statistics & numerical data*
  • Texas