Older Adults/ Seniors and Technology Stereotype (Research, Video 2:58)

What percentage of adults over age 65 use the Internet? If you’re like most people, you may have bought into the stereotype that the percentage is very low. Actually, 42% of adults over age 65 use the Internet. This statistic has increased 11% over the past year and continues to grow.

What are they doing on the Internet? Young people might say they are looking for sales on walkers or Viagra sources. They could be right, but older adults are looking for so much more and finding it. I personally know an older adult who has found love on the Internet twice at a matchmaking website. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology report that older adults’ positive attitudes about technology outnumber their negative attitudes. They believe that positive attitudes support many activities that older adults find convenient and useful.

Is there anything older adults don’t like about the Internet? Like many of all ages, they worry about Internet security. With all the hacking and scamming that target older adults, they should be concerned. They dislike some of the inconvenience and unreliability that holds hands with technology sometimes. But they mostly like the benefits they get from the technology experience such as Internet browsing, learning new information, social networking with family and friends, and even planning trips on their own.

Put the technology stereotype to rest. There’s a big world out there in cyberspace. Education can encourage even more older adults to explore the many wonders technology has to offer. If you're a senior who wants to learn more about traveling in cyberspace, contact your local Area Agency on Aging, a senior center, or your public library for information on where you can attend classes. Have a great trip!

At the age of 91, Naomi Long Madgett, Poet Laureate of Detroit, MI, enjoys using technology. Her good choices with the "new stuff" enhance her quality of life. You can read more about Naomi and iPad research with older adults here:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/selfie-detroit-poet-laureate-techie-91-ipad-research-parker?trk=mp-reader-card

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Hospice Team Meetings and Technology

Hospice services are a team effort. By law, hospice agencies must deliver services using an interdisciplinary approach to patient care. As technology evolves and becomes more accessible, it can play a larger and more beneficial role in the implementation of hospice teamwork. How effectively have hospice teams been using technology to address challenges faced at interdisciplinary team meetings?

In a study reported in the “International Journal of Electronic Healthcare,” 190 representatives of hospice agencies were surveyed by phone regarding the level of technology use in hospice Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) meetings. Survey results indicate that hospice team meetings often do not incorporate technology, even when it could be beneficial. Over half of the participants did not include computers at meetings, even though computers could help them access patient records and medication lists for designing care plans. Technology can better serve hospice agencies if they use it more to enhance the social and product functions of the group process at their team meetings.

You can read more here about this study on technology and hospice team meetings.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
“Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog”

Nursing Home Technology: Wii Video Game (Video 58 secs.)

During the past year, something unexpected has enhanced the culture change in some senior citizen communities. That phenomenon is the playing of Wii (pronounced “we”), a Nintendo video game that leads the nation in sales. Why unexpected? Most of the players have never used a video game before.

This popular cross-generational game is played with a handheld remote control (cutely called a “Wiimote”) that is mounted to the wrist and includes a motion sensor. Players press buttons and move to translate their actions onto a television screen. As complicated as that sounds, the game is very user friendly. Unlike most video and computer games, Wii involves a pleasing combination of mental and physical exercise, along with positive social interaction. There are several digital versions such as bowling, tennis, golf, and baseball. The best way to understand how Wii works is to watch people play. Click here to see a
Wii bowling game in progress.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Nursing Home Technology

Part of the culture change that many look forward to seeing in more nursing homes is supportive of technology as a means of providing residents with more independence and dignity in daily living. Of course, the human touch still remains primary in patient interactions with others.

A major problem in implementing more technology is cost. Cuts in funding for nursing homes only make an already difficult situation worse. But we must still address the possibilities, particularly since many technological accommodations are already on the market. Five examples are these:

1) A vacuum assisted sponge that promotes blood circulation at the wound site and sucks out the infection

2) Robots that perform basic tasks that will allow staff to spend more hands-on time with patients and that remind residents of tasks they should do

3) Computer touch screens for nurse aides and others to update patient data at the point of care for immediate access and use elsewhere

4) Remote sensing technology that monitors motion, temperature, pressure on floors, chairs and beds, how patients walk, when they fall, restlessness in bed, as well as patients’ pulse and respiration

5) Wireless call systems that allow residents to call for assistance anywhere in the facility by pressing a button they wear that sends a message to a computer

The reality is that technology is needed to free more staff to handle the increasing numbers of patients who are living in nursing homes. Millions of baby boomers will need services in the very near future. In order to support our aging society, America needs more discussions and funding relating to technology.

At the age of 91, Naomi Long Madgett, Poet Laureate of Detroit, MI, enjoys using technology. Her good choices with the "new stuff" enhance her quality of life. You can read more about Naomi and iPad research with older adults here:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/selfie-detroit-poet-laureate-techie-91-ipad-research-parker?trk=mp-reader-card

Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog