scholarly journals Brain Health: Attitudes towards Technology Adoption in Older Adults

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Nadir G. Abdelrahman ◽  
Raza Haque ◽  
Molly E. Polverento ◽  
Andrea Wendling ◽  
Courtney M. Goetz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Brain Health ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Health Related

(1) Background: There is increasing scholarly support for the notion that properly implemented and used, technology can be of substantial benefit for older adults. Use of technology has been associated with improved self-rating of health and fewer chronic conditions. Use of technology such as handheld devices by older adults has the potential to improve engagement and promote cognitive and physical health. However, although, literature suggests some willingness by older adults to use technology, simultaneously there are reports of a more cautious attitude to its adoption. Our objective was to determine the opinions towards information technologies, with special reference to brain health, in healthy older adults either fully retired or still working in some capacity including older adult workers and retired adults living in an independent elderly living community. We were especially interested in further our understanding of factors that may play a role in technology adoption and its relevance to addressing health related issues in this population; (2) Methods: Two focus groups were conducted in an inner-city community. Participants were older adults with an interest in their general health and prevention of cognitive decline. They were asked to discuss their perceptions of and preferences for the use of technology. Transcripts were coded for thematic analysis; (3) Results: Seven common themes emerged from the focus group interviews: physical health, cognitive health, social engagement, organizing information, desire to learn new technology, advancing technology, and privacy/security; and (4) Conclusions: This study suggests that in order to promote the use of technology in older adults, one needs to consider wider contextual issues, not only device design per se, but the older adult’s rationale for using technology and their socio-ecological context.

Technology Use by Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Czaja ◽  
Chin Chin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Potential Benefits

The expanding power of computers and the growth of information technologies such as the Internet have made it possible for large numbers of people to have direct access to an increasingly wide array of information sources and services. Use of technology has become an integral component of work, education, communication, entertainment, and health care. Moreover, home appliances, security systems, and other communication devices are becoming more integrated with network resources providing faster and more powerful interactive services. Older adults represent an increasing large proportion of the population and will need to be active users of technology to function independently and receive the potential benefits of technology. Thus, it is critically important to understand how older adults respond to and adopt new information technologies. Technology offers many potential benefits for older people such as enhanced access to information and resources and health-care services, as well as opportunities for cognitive and social engagement. Unfortunately, because of a number of factors many older people confront challenges and barriers when attempting to access and use technology systems.

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa M. Momani
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Scientific Field ◽  
Minimum Amount ◽  
Unified Theory ◽  
Development Method ◽  
Moderating Variables ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Test Technology

Recently, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology has taken place as one of the most developed and intensive models to test technology adoption and acceptance. This research article reviews this model by presenting a description of its development and structure. Additionally, this article compares it with other former theories and models in this field. It studies the evolution stages of these theories and classifies them depending on their development method and the scientific field which they were developed in. Moreover, the model's determinants were classified depending on their influence on technology adoption. This model has been reported as robust and trusted for application on different technologies and viable after doing any modification operation over it. It also has the minimum amount of complexity according to its limited number of constructs and moderating variables that make it more applicable and understandable to study the acceptance behavior to any new technology.

scholarly journals OLDER ADULTS’ SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND WELL-BEING IN A DIGITAL WORLD

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S14-S14
Author(s):  
Shannon T Mejia ◽  
Sara J Czaja
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Abstract As adults age into a digitally connected world, communication technologies such as the internet, email, social media, and video chats offer new opportunities to connect with others. The implications of older adults’ use of technology in the context of their social relationships—such as the implications for social integration, the relational circumstances of technology adoption, implications for daily experiences of well-being, and opportunities to form new relationships—are less understood. This symposium brings together diverse and complementary perspectives on the contribution of technology to older adults’ social experiences. We begin with inquiry into implications of internet use for social integration. Hees and colleagues use data from the German Ageing Survey to examine how internet use is associated with change in loneliness over a three-year period in older adults who are either before or after retirement. Our symposium continues with papers on technology use within the context of older adults’ existing close relationships. Chopik examines individual and dyadic predictors of technology adoption. Mejía and colleagues consider the implications for digital social interactions for older adult’s well-being on that day. Our final paper discusses the potential for technology to aid in the development of new relationships. Rogers and colleagues describe findings from their OneClick.chat project, a web-based video chat application that connects older adults based on their shared interests. Our session concludes with a discussion led by Czaja, who will integrate the four papers and discuss the challenges and opportunities of using technology to support older adults’ social relationships and well-being.

Factors of New Technology Adoption in the Retail Sector

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-André Julien ◽  
Louis Raymond
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Software Technology ◽  
Determinant Factors ◽  
New Technology Adoption ◽  
Strategic Factors ◽  
Inventory Distribution

If small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in retailing are to be competitive in today's market, they need to master management and production information technologies. These technologies must be linked to the firm's operations, such as inventory, distribution, and shipping. The aim of this research is to identify the organizational, structural, and strategic factors that determine hardware and software technology adoption by retail SMEs. The sample is composed of 79 firms in the food (grocery), hardware, and (ladles') garment sectors. The determinant factors identified include sector, status (independent or affiliated), decentralization, bureaucratization, strategic proactiveness, and time-frame.

scholarly journals Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Coastal Residents After Multiple Disasters

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie E. Cherry ◽  
Laura Sampson ◽  
Sandro Galea ◽  
Loren D. Marks ◽  
Kayla H. Baudoin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Coastal Residents

AbstractObjectiveExposure to multiple disasters, both natural and technological, is associated with extreme stress and long-term consequences for older adults that are not well understood. In this article, we address age differences in health-related quality of life in older disaster survivors exposed to the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the role played by social engagement in influencing these differences.MethodsParticipants were noncoastal residents, current coastal residents, and current coastal fishers who were economically affected by the BP oil spill. Social engagement was estimated on the basis of disruptions in charitable work and social support after the 2005 hurricanes relative to a typical year before the storms. Criterion measures were participants’ responses to the SF-36 Health Survey which includes composite indexes of physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health.ResultsThe results of logistic regressions indicated that age was inversely associated with SF-36 PCS scores. A reduction in perceived social support after Hurricane Katrina was also inversely associated with SF-36 MCS scores.ConclusionsThese results illuminate risk factors that impact well-being among older adults after multiple disasters. Implications of these data for psychological adjustment after multiple disasters are considered. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:90–96)

scholarly journals The Association Between Health, Social Engagement, and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adults in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 95-96
Author(s):  
Yuekang Li
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Stress Process

Abstract Psychological health and health-related quality of life of older adults have been long minimized by caregivers, service providers and the society in developing countries, such as China. According to the Stress Process Model, the stress of physical disadvantages influences mental health outcomes directly and indirectly. However, being socially engaged has the potential to reduce disease burden and improve psychological wellbeing of older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the role played by social engagement in the pathway through which physical health predicts mental health. Using the WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health China wave 2010, 6,276 individuals ages 60 years and older were included for analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to construct a directional path leading from the functioning and chronic disease, impacting the social engagement, in turn impacting the psychological wellbeing. All variables in this model are latent constructs. Functioning and chronic diseases in later life were associated with social engagement and psychological wellbeing, and the link between social engagement and psychological wellbeing was also significant. The effect of function was greater than that of chronic diseases. Though the significant indirect effect of physical health on psychological wellbeing was not supported in this study, this study suggests the multiple roles of social engagement as coping resources in the stress process of physical impairment and illness of older adults. This present study also adds to the existing literature by exploring how SEM methods can be applied to studies of social engagement.

Fall Worry Restricts Social Engagement in Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 422-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namkee G. Choi ◽  
Martha L. Bruce ◽  
Diana M. DiNitto ◽  
C. Nathan Marti ◽  
Mark E. Kunik
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
Longitudinal Associations

Objective: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between (a) activity-limiting fall worry (ALW) and (b) self-reported health-related restrictions and social engagement among older adults. Method: The National Health and Aging Trends Study Waves 5 (T1) and 6 (T2) provided data ( n = 6,279). Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine association of T2 social engagement restrictions with T2 fall worry and association of T1–T2 changes in social engagement restrictions with T1–T2 changes in fall worry. Results: ALW was significantly associated with both informal and formal social engagement restriction at T2. Onset of ALW and continued ALW between T1 and T2 were also significantly associated with newly reported restrictions in both informal and formal social engagement at T2 even controlling for falls incidents and changes in health status and other covariates. Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of reducing fall worry and preventing social disengagement in late life.

scholarly journals Older Adults’ Perceptions of ICT: Main Findings from the Technology In Later Life (TILL) Study

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Ramsden Marston ◽  
Rebecca Genoe ◽  
Shannon Freeman ◽  
Cory Kulczycki ◽  
Charles Musselwhite
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Impact Behavior ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The Impact

Technology is entwined in 21st Century society, and within the lives of people across all ages. The Technology In Later Life (TILL) study is the first piece of work contributing to the impact, behavior, and perception of technology use, by adults aged ≥70 years, residing in rural and suburban areas. TILL is an international, multi-centred, multi-methods study investigating and conceptualizing how various technologies impact the lives of older adults; residing in urban and rural locations in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. This in-depth study recruited 37 participants via a multi-methods approach. Analysis of the findings ascertained two overarching themes: facilitators of technology use (i.e., sharing of information and feeling secure), and detractors of technology (i.e., feelings of apprehension of use). Proposed recommendations include promotion of technology from a strengths-based perspective focusing on positive opportunities technology to improve health and wellbeing, creating a peer support network to assist with learning of new technology, and the need to examine further how intergenerational relationships may be enhanced through the use of technology. The distinction of these themes narrates to the originality of this initial study and milieu of recruited participants, intersecting across the fields of gerontology, geography, social sciences, and gerontechnology.

scholarly journals PREDICTORS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND RECOVERY AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S877-S877
Author(s):  
Anjana Muralidharan ◽  
Clayton H Brown ◽  
Richard W Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Older adults with serious mental illness (i.e., schizophrenia spectrum disorders and affective psychoses) exhibit marked impairments across medical, cognitive, and psychiatric domains. The present study examined predictors of health-related quality-of-life and mental health recovery in this population. Participants (N=211) were ages 50 and older with a chart diagnosis of serious mental illness and a co-occurring medical condition, engaged in outpatient mental health services at a study site. Participants completed a battery of assessments including subtests from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), the 24-Item Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24), the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), and the Maryland Assessment of Recovery Scale (MARS). Multiple linear regression analyses, with age, race, gender, and BMI as covariates, examined number of current medical conditions, RBANS, and BASIS as predictors of quality-of-life and recovery. Significant predictors of physical health-related quality-of-life (R-squared=.298, F(9,182)=8.57, p<.0001) were number of medical conditions (β=-1.70, p<.0001), BASIS-Depression/Functioning (β=-4.84, p<.0001), and BASIS-Psychosis (β=2.39, p<.0008). Significant predictors of mental health-related quality-of-life (R-squared=.575, F(9,182)=27.37, p<.0001) were RBANS (β=0.03, p=.05), BASIS-Depression/Functioning (β=-6.49, p<.0001), BASIS-Relationships (β=-3.17, p<.0001), and BASIS-Psychosis (β=-1.30, p=.03). Significant predictors of MARS (R-squared=.434, F(9,183)=15.56, p<.0001) were BASIS-Depression/Functioning (β=-4.68, p=.002) and BASIS-Relationships (β=-9.44, p<.0001). To promote holistic recovery among older adults with serious mental illness, integrated interventions are required. For example, to improve physical health-related quality-of-life, one should target depression and psychotic symptoms as well as medical illness burden. To improve mental health-related quality-of-life, depression symptoms and interpersonal functioning may be key targets, as well as neurocognitive function.

scholarly journals Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: Its Association with Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Health-Promoting Behavior

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung Kyung Lee ◽  
Jihyun Oh
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Promoting

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationships among sociodemographics, health literacy, self-efficacy, social support, health-promoting behavior, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in older adults. A total of 240 older adults aged >65 years were recruited from three community senior welfare centers in South Korea. Standardized self-administered questionnaires measuring sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, social support, self-efficacy, health-promoting behavior, and health-related quality of life were distributed to older adults. Multiple regression analyses with stepwise selection was used to determine the factors affecting health-related quality of life. Factors affecting a higher physical component score of HRQOL were a higher comprehension level of and numeracy in health literacy, physical health-promoting behavior, perceived emotional-informational support, and a lesser number of comorbidities. Factors affecting a higher mental component score of HRQOL were a higher comprehension level of and numeracy in health literacy, self-efficacy, physical health-promoting behavior, perceived emotional-informational support, and a lesser number of comorbidities. To improve HRQOL among older adults, nursing interventions are required to measure health literacy, empower physical health-promoting behavior and self-efficacy, and enhance emotional-informational support from family or other resources.

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