Building on trusted relationships to overcome resistance to ICTs
P. P. Freddolino, F. Sun, D. Wishart, H. Kim, E. Godek, D. Parrett, M. Bentley, M. Huber
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AbstractAlthough the proportion of older adults using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is increasing globally, this rate remains low compared to that of other ages. Lower rates are tied to perceptions of difficulty in using ICTs, little value, and serious security challenges. Furthermore, age, education, and income can affect ICT adoption, challenging digital equity. At the same time, it is known that ICT use can help address social isolation, loneliness, and health care access. One successful approach to overcoming ICT resistance is use of “warm experts,” usually young family members (Hanninen et al., 2021). These relatives introduce devices and applications, illustrate their use, and support older adults as they expand use. Unfortunately, many low-income older adults live alone with no family or friends who can assume this role. Recipients of home-delivered meals (HDMs) – over 800,000 in the US alone – face this issue. The Virtual Table model hypothesizes that meal drivers, who often see recipients multiple times a week, can become “warm experts” to introduce ICTs (Papadaki et al., 2021).Keywords: ICTs, technology, loneliness, telehealth
P. P. Freddolino, F. Sun, D. Wishart, H. Kim, E. Godek, D. Parrett, M. Bentley, M. Huber (2022). Building on trusted relationships to overcome resistance to ICTs. Gerontechnology, 21(s),1-1
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2022.21.s.522.opp4