What are Older People Actually Fearing about Technology?

After completing the readings from our class, I was very intrigued at all the possible topics that I would be able to explore. Through this blog I hope to explore aging theories and how aging has been affected by the presence and advancement of technology. The activist theory in social gerontology in reference to aging is the idea that the level of interaction and activity that people engage in affects how the person ages. According to a report from Marketing Charts, seniors ranked their top fear about aging as the loss of independence and moving out of their homes to a nursing home--even above death. Before researching, I have always believed that technology is beneficial to easing the process of aging.  Technology has revolutionized the way the activist theory of aging is applied and presented. I came across an article titled "Aging Well with Smart Technology"  that used a social constructivist approach by asking elderlies for opinions on the negatives of aging, such as their pain and sicknesses. It introduces the idea of smart technology such as home sensors or alert systems that tries to either prevent problems that arise from aging or increase the sense of security that elderlies sometimes lack. What was really interesting about this article is that the authors suggested that the costs of hiring people to handle these technological equipment may be even higher, because the elderlies at nursing homes could press the button for assistance out of need for "human response." Will the onset of technology breed new fears in older people? The general public also tends to use fear of learning how to operate technology as the primary reason for why there is a statistically low use of technology by seniors. However, I wondered if instead of fear it was actually the lack of accessibility for seniors, due to financial or other issues. I read an article called, "Accessibility and Usability of Information Technology by the Elderly", which introduced how the elderly do indeed have a lack of access to technology and some measures that the government can take to change this. As technology advances and a more prominent part of everyone's life, the public should take measures to attempt to make more efforts to engage the elderly into technology use. This way it breeds familiarity, eradicates fear, and provides the brain stimulation that the elderlies need in order to prevent the onset of dementia.

References

Cheek, P., Nikpour, L. & Nowlin, H. (2005). Aging Well With Smart Technology [Electronic version]. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 29 (4), 329-338. Retrieved 28 January 2012 from USC Libraries database.

(2007). Seniors Fear Loss of Independence, Nursing Homes More Than Death [Electronic version]. Marketing Charts. Watershed Publishing. Retrieved 29 January 2012 from http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/seniors-fear-loss-of-independence-nursing-homes-more-than-death-2343/

Browne, H. (2000). Accessibility and Usability of Information Technology by the Elderly. University of Maryland. Retrieved 30 2012 from http://otal.umd.edu/UUGuide/hbrowne/