Will 

Gerontechnology Solve the Problems of Aging in the 21st Century?

credit: volusia.org

Aging in the 21^st century is a challenge that has never before been experienced by our elderly population due to the rapidly accelerating and unprecedented technological changes of modern generations. With difficulties such as decreased mobility, moving into an assisted care facility, illness and the loss of loved ones, so many aspects of aging isolate an aging person from cultural and societal trends. How do we assure our parents or grandparents a sense of inclusion within a society that they have watched change drastically over the better part of a hundred years, especially when that society changes ever faster? With all sorts of new gadgets that affect our quality of life, how does technology apply to those who have learned to live before the popularization of email and cell phones, when computers were mostly science fiction (or else took up an entire room) and telephones required human operators at the switchboard?

A new interdisciplinary field of study has emerged to answer and solve these questions: gerontechnology. This specialized hybrid between gerontology (the study of aging) and technology explores all the ways in which technology can sustain and/or enhance the quality of life of our aging friends and family. Given all the possible applications of technology and all the social, psychological and physiological aspects of aging, gerontechnology is undoubtedly a massive, almost unwieldy field of study, but I’d like to focus on one particular study that tackles a question which applies to a great number of elderly people: how can information technology improve the quality of life for those living in residential care homes?

For as simple as this technological application may be, it produced almost entirely positive results.

credit: arageek.com

Published in 2013, the study cites how assisted living facilities can actually exacerbate feelings of isolation and low self-esteem. Common problems such as declining physical and mental health and weakened social connections are actually “more significant to people living in an RHCU [Residential Home Care Unit] than for those who live in their own home.” Facility-organized activates that attempt to motivate and maintain resident health, in order to be inclusive, often appeal to those with lower aptitudes, often leading to “under-stimulated or bored active residents.” And perhaps most alarming, “physical, social and mental degeneration accumulates with old age and tend to increase after individuals have been placed in RHCU-type institutions.” Judging by this study, it sounds like residential care homes have much room for improvement. Because of their potentially unsupportive environments, assisted living facilities are crucial sites to explore—and hopefully improve—through gerontechnology.

The study does exactly this. For a group of RCHU residents, it implemented a technology training program that included computers with cognitive games, publication software, a journal writing application and an intuitive email program. Each program, designed specifically for a mature user, was intended to help the resident maintain cognitive skills as well as develop or cultivate social connection by sharing his or her experience and working with other residents.

Learning how to reconnect with the changing world obviously does incite some positive change, and if it’s not the way, it can at least be a way to help those in assisted living.

For as simple as this technological application may be, it produced almost entirely positive results. On a personal level, those involved felt productive and empowered as they learned new skills and felt overall more confident in themselves by realizing that they can still learn and grow. They could send emails to their grandchildren or write up an article on some memory or experience. Overall, those who conducted the study observed “their autonomy, their ability to react (or psychological empowerment), their learning capacity, and the rehabilitation of certain functions.” On a more circumstantial level, the technology allowed for more social cohesion and cooperation as the residents watched and helped each other use the new technology. They felt less isolated and instead part of a group working together. Is information technology, then, the answer to questions on how to improve the lives of those in residential care?

It’s hard to say if working within a technological environment truly caused this positive change. It undoubtedly facilitated this change, but technology itself could be less influential than the social cohesion and other external factors that gather around learning a new task. For example, simply being part of a study may have given the residents a greater sense of purpose and therefore confidence and sense of meaning. In other words, the actual technology may not be that much more effective than doing crossword puzzles or hosting a book club. The actual influence of the technology is inconclusive. Nevertheless, learning how to reconnect with the changing world obviously does incite some positive change, and if it’s not the way, it can at least be a way to help those in assisted living. In the end, the statistics and scientific strategies used to indicate the benefits of gerontechnology seem less convincing than the testimonials from residents who feel like they’re more independent, more able individuals.

What are your thoughts on the emphasis on technology as a means to improve the lives the elderly population? We look forward to your comments below.

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