The digital divide in remote Indigenous and underserved aging communities
P.P. Morita (Canada), G. Bin Noon (Canada), S. Salim (Canada), M. Bults (the Netherlands), M.E.M. den Ouden (the Netherlands), D. van der Linden (Netherlands), C. Daum (Canada), H. Ross (Canada), A. Simard (Canada), A. Miguel Cruz (Canada), L. Liu (Canada).
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AbstractPURPOSE: Older adults in rural and remote communities, such as Canada's North, face unique challenges in accessing digital technologies 1,2,3. In Europe, underserved aging communities face similar challenges, which include unreliable Internet access, costly Internet service, and low digital health literacy². These issues are heightened in First Nations Communities in Canada³, and immigrant older populations in Europe living with mental health challenges. These populations find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide, currently with limited access to digital health initiatives when compared to other regions. The absence of basic IT infrastructure and connectivity in remote regions compounds this issue. Additionally, algorithms and Al models in digital solutions are typically developed using patient data that do not reflect the characteristics and clinical needs of underserved communities. METHODS: This practical presentation brings together expertise from Canada and the Netherlands to examine three use cases: (1) the deployment of Medly, a remote management program in northern First Nations communities in Canada³, (2) monitoring technologies for older adults in Canada, (3) online only mental health treatment in The Netherlands. International and interdisciplinary participants will propose strategies to address the digital divide. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The digital divide in First Nations communities and underserved aging populations in Europe risks widening if sophisticated technologies, such as Al do not consider the preferences and needs of communities with unique cultures and histories. When deploying Medly, Ross's team observed that older patients were unfamiliar with the concept of managing their own health, which presented a barrier to the deployment of digital health solutions. Their study demonstrated that digital therapeutics for heart failure, when combined with culturally safe and respectful in-person clinics and relationship building, can result in positive management of heart failure in First Nations communities³. Dr. Heather Ross leads the TRANSFORM HF program, where engineers, scientists and clinicians work in tandem with Indigenous health experts and patients to develop point-of-care diagnostics, wearables, and Al technologies to monitor and proactively treat people with heart failure in their homes. In the second use case initiative, our team tested a locating technology app. Local health professionals identified that community members were hesitant to use the app due to concerns about how the use and sharing of personal information. These concerns were rooted in historical oppression by non-Indigenous law enforcement. Indigenous protesters, who are now older adults, had tried to protect a sacred burial ground. This cohort is more reluctant than non-Indigenous older adults to use the technology which could trigger trauma associated with monitoring and surveillance. In the third use case, a network of professionals in mental health organizations in The Netherlands, are conducting a feasibility study on the use of online-only intervention. This study focuses on how new technological interventions can be implemented in practice, in close collaboration with people with mental health challenges and their network. We will present the end-users' experiences with this new intervention (e.g. strengths, limitations, and suggestions for improvement).Keywords: Rural health, Indigenous health, digital resources, underserved communities, comparative analysis
P.P. Morita (Canada), G. Bin Noon (Canada), S. Salim (Canada), M. Bults (the Netherlands), M.E.M. den Ouden (the Netherlands), D. van der Linden (Netherlands), C. Daum (Canada), H. Ross (Canada), A. Simard (Canada), A. Miguel Cruz (Canada), L. Liu (Canada). (2026). The digital divide in remote Indigenous and underserved aging communities. Gerontechnology, 25(2), 1-10
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2026.25.2.1342.3