There’s great untapped opportunity for technology to be adopted to better meet the needs and preferences of older adults helping them live well and age in place, according to a comprehensive new study from AARP and CTA, Empowering Independence with Technology Among Adults Age 50-Plus.
The report combines the work of a quantitative study from CTA and qualitative research from AARP. CTA’s quantitative Aging in Place: Staying Connected with Technology reveals that older adults are comfortable with tech and consider certain technologies, especially those related to personal health, to be useful as they seek to age in place. The findings also indicated an opportunity to repurpose or reimagine mainstream technologies as tools to help older adults remain independent and in their homes and communities.
The work shines the spotlight on age tech, defined as technology to help people to age in place. Typically, age tech needs to be reliable, easy to use, accurate and affordable. This technology has the potential to meet the growing needs of a population that consistently expresses a desire to age in place, with 89% of older adults (age 50-plus) ranking aging in place as important according to this new study.
