In care and digitally savvy? Modern ICT use in long-term care institutions

Abstract

Although information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as smartphones, tablets, and the internet, have all become increasingly important in modern society, available studies on the adoption of ICTs have mostly focused on healthy and community-dwelling “young-old” adults. Relatively little is known about ICT use among long-term care residents, such as “old-old” adults, who often have various functional impairments and live in institutionalized settings. The study includes data on ICT use (TV, radio, computers, smartphones, tablets, and internet) among a large sample of 940 residents (mean age: 87.6 years) living in 20 retirement homes in Zurich, Switzerland. Twenty-one percent of residents reported using the internet, 13% used a smartphone, and 5% used a tablet. Younger older adults, those with more education, those with lower nursing-care levels, and those who reported being particularly interested in technology were more likely to own more than one ICT device. Compared with nonusers, internet users were more likely to be younger, better educated, and more interested in technology in general. Modern ICT usage has reached the long-term care sector and appears to play a significant role in many residents’ lives. Researchers should continue to examine the role of ICTs in the lives of older adults in general and for residents in long-term care in particular, given that this population is often ignored in studies of older adults and ICT use.

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