Technology Use by Older Adults and Barriers to Using Technology

Abstract

This study investigated what types of technology older adults (OA) are using, what they are doing with these technologies, what they would like to be doing with technology and what barriers are preventing them from doing what they would like to do. A nonexperimental survey design was used for the research. Eighty-two OA recruited by a snowball convenience sample participated in the study. Results indicate more than 50% of respondents are using cell/smart phones and computers while much fewer are using tablets and e-readers. Socializing (calling and emailing) and surfing the net are important activities for elders. They would like to use alarms and calendar features. Barriers to use include lack of knowledge, negative attitudes, and age-related changes such as vision and hearing loss and fine motor difficulties. Conclusions present implications for further research as well as therapeutic use of technology with OA.

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