Technology and Gerontology:Is This in Your Nursing Curriculum?

Abstract

WE ALL HAVE OUR NOTIONS OF WHO DOES OR DOES NOT USE TECHNOLOGY, AND FOR MANY, THE ELDERLY ARE VIEWED AS LUDDITES. technology and the elderly do mix. i hear people say, My grandmother would never use a computer, she would never enter data in a personal health record, and, for sure, she would never go on the At the university of Colorado College of nursing, we offer a graduate core course called Human technology interface, which explores the positive, negative, and unintended consequences of technologies. We broadly define technologies to include information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and emerging technologies, such as mobile and smart technologies. When we first offered the course in 1997, the discussions around the use of computers, internet, email, and smart homes, especially for older adults, were stereotypical. older adults did use technology and, through the eyes of young adults, the elderly would never want their privacy invaded with smart tools in their homes. typically did cross the mind of students that if the choice was to live independently at home, with some smart devices, or live in a long-term care facility, many would sacrifice some privacy to stay in their homes. There is evidence to support this notion. Elinor Ginzler, senior vice president for livable communities at aarp, said, it would be incorrect to assume that older residents would reject the electronic monitoring devices because of a loss of privacy. in an aarp 2011 Survey, they found that nearly nine in 10 seniors said they would be willing to give up some privacy if they could remain in their homes longer (abrahms, 2012; iHealthBeat, 2011). The world has changed since we started this course, and are now more reasons to ensure that our students understand that technologies are important assets in health care, especially for the elderly and boomer generation, now turning 65. this column highlights some statistics and shows how certain technologies are being used now. is hoped that you will begin to incorporate this information in your gerontology curriculum. Let's start with recent pew internet and american Life reports. Since 2000, the pew internet project has collected data on who and uses the internet and why. Zickuhr and Smith (2012) noted that, in comparisons between 2011 and 2000 studies, there were stark differences between those who were using the internet and those who were not (p. 2). Here are some major findings: * Seventy-eight percent of adults (over age 18) use the internet, in comparison with 14 percent in 1995 and 50 percent in 2000. recent trend data from February 2012 (www.pewinternet.org/Static-pages/trend-data/Whos-online.aspx) show an increase to 80 percent. * Sixty-two percent access the internet through broadband access. Having a negatively correlates with internet access when controlling for the demographic variables of age, income, and educational level. only 54% of those with a access the internet in comparison to 81% of those without a disability (Zickuhr & Smith, 2012, p. 11). * For the demographic differences studied by Zickuhr and Smith (2012), age, education, and household income are the strongest positive predictors of internet use. Let's drill down on age and compare the 2000 and 2011 results. For young adults, internet use increased from 61 percent to 94 percent; for those 30 to 49 years old, usage increased from 57 percent to 87 percent. now look at the boomer generation (ages 50-64) and those over 65. For boomers, usage went from 41 percent to 74 percent; for those over 65 went from 12 percent to 41 percent. So, when preparing your students for the next generation of care, is important to understand that right now, 4 out of 10 seniors over the age of 65 and 7 out of 10 in the boomer generation use the internet. think what the data will look like in another 5 to 10 years when a large portion of our nursing faculty reach the age of 65. …