Advancement of Technology and Change of Attitude among the Elderly – Due 28/04/2022

The advancement of medical technology has contributed a great deal to improving the lives of the elderly, and this has resulted in longer life and good health during the final years of life. With the quality of life has changed for to better, attitudes towards aging have changed, with people developing a new mindset that aging is not associated with dependency. Current technology has the capability of enabling mobility in a person if they are unable to walk. I expect that there will be numerous changes in attitude toward and treatment of the elderly between now and the time when I am 80 years old, and this change of attitude will be based on the faith that advanced technology has provided in improving the quality of life.

The rise of technology will benefit healthy ageing and longevity, enabling people to live a healthier life that is more fulfilling at all ages (Calder et al., 2018). For example, technological innovations have been used to keep the elderly physically active and enable independent living, such as detecting falls, thus helping the elderly to avoid unnecessary injuries. Old people are unable to navigate their way, which makes them susceptible to trips and falls, which may increase the number of deaths in the elderly population. With advanced technology to help in navigation, the elderly will have an opportunity to extend their life expectancy by avoiding deadly falls. Besides, advancements in technology, especially the introduction of smart home technology, which involves the automation of homes, providing homeowners, especially the elderly, with security, comfort, convenience and energy efficiency by allowing them to control smart devices, often by a smart home app on their smartphone or other networked devices (Li et al., 2021). Smart homes will provide the elderly with an opportunity to live a decent life, and this will reduce the chances of the elderly being sent to ageing homes, which are mostly considered dumps for old people. Based on this, smart homes will give the elderly a changed perspective about getting old, knowing that they won’t be sent to aging homes and forgotten by their families.

Advancements in technology will also provide opportunities for people to connect with their loved ones (Roblek et al., 2018). Strong social connections have been found to be fundamental to physical and mental well-being. Previously, the elderly used to smoke cigarettes to kill boredom, which is not a healthy behavior since it can accelerate the chances of getting lung cancer and even dying prematurely. People are supposed to enjoy old age as it is the time for them to relax and enjoy their lifetime benefits. Technological advancements have helped make this dream possible as people have adopted a better choice of living, including adopting healthy behaviors such as using social media to connect with people. For example, older people can connect with their families and other elderly people online, and this can help change the attitudes toward ageing. According to data, the adoption and use of technology have increased tremendously, with 44% of people aged 50 and older being more comfortable with technology than before the covid-19 pandemic (Kong et al., 2021). This positive behavior is expected to continue, increasing socialization and interaction of the elderly, and this will help improve the mental well-being of the elderly.

References

Calder, P. C., Carding, S. R., Christopher, G., Kuh, D., Langley‐Evans, S. C., & McNulty, H. (2018). A holistic approach to healthy ageing: how can people live longer, healthier lives?. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics, 31(4), 439-450.

Kong, S. S., Otalora Rojas, L. A., Ashour, A., Robinson, M., Hosterman, T., & Bhanusali, N. (2021). Ability and willingness to utilize telemedicine among rheumatology patients—a cross-sectional survey. Clinical Rheumatology, 40(12), 5087-5093.

Li, W., Yigitcanlar, T., Erol, I., & Liu, A. (2021). Motivations, barriers and risks of smart home adoption: From systematic literature review to conceptual framework. Energy Research & Social Science, 80, 102211.

Roblek, V., Mesko, M., Dimovski, V., & Peterlin, J. (2018). Smart technologies as social innovation and complex social issues of the Z generation. Kybernetes.