Page 21 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue
P. 21
Aging Status Changes May Require Different Technologies
Personal
Home Safety Personal Status Personal Safety Personal Health
Medical Status
Alarm System E-mail, phone, PERS, Medication Chronic disease
video, chat, fall detection, reminders, monitors,
text, GPS home monitoring dispensers, online health
wellness guides communities,
forums
INDEPENDENT TIME FRAILER
Matters of time. As people age, they need different types of assistance.
To be e ective, ALT needs to address priority items for seniors
rst. These include feeling safe, preparing food, staying connected, Senior Attitudes Toward Monitoring
not falling (that’s a big one) and retaining a sense of purpose and 1. I do not mind being monitored unobtrusively in my home.
self-worth. 84%
Too often, smart-gadget designers approach tech from the 2. I do not mind being monitored, as long as the data collected is 93%
perspective of the person “managing” the aged person, not the useful for my doctor.
person being managed. And they miss the mark. For example, 3. I do not care who has access to information from in-home 13%
more than once at CES last year, I had eager sales staff demon- activity or computer monitoring.
strate indoor cameras that would “keep an eye on older family 4. I would not mind being videotaped to monitor my movement 20%
around the house.
members, 24 hours a day.” But research indicates that no one
wants to be watched. But they will tolerate passive observation, 5. I would want information about my activity sent to me, if there 92%
was a change in my activity.
within limits. A study of older people published in Gerontology 6. I would want information about my activity sent to me, if the
five years ago, for example, found that more than 72 percent of changes suggest that I might have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). 87%
participants reported acceptance of in-home and computer moni- 7. I would want information about my activity sent to a family
toring, and willingness to have data shared with their doctor or member, if the changes suggest that I might have AD. 81%
family members. 8. I would want information about my activity sent to my doctor,
The caveat, however, is that after a year of passive observation, if the changes suggest I might have AD. 90%
60 percent of this group said they had privacy concerns. As seniors 9. I am willing to have information from activity monitoring shared
learn more about smart tech, they become more cautious. But they’re with my family. 87%
still willing to embrace passive monitoring, provided they feel secure 10. I am willing to have information from activity monitoring shared 89%
that only doctors and family members get the data. with my doctor.
Like video cameras, the tech industry also believes that seniors 11. I am willing to have information from my computer use shared 79% SOURCE: “WILLINGNESS OF OLDER ADULTS TO SHARE DATA AND PRIVACY CONCERNS AFTER EXPOSURE TO UNOBTRUSIVE INHOME MONITORING,” PUBLISHED IN GERONTOLOGY, 2013
need and will use wearables, such as wrist devices, smart shoes and with my family.
pulse-checking clothing. They’re ramming this idea forward with 12. I am willing to have information from my computer use shared 73%
their marketing budgets, but seniors have been slow to accept the with my doctor.
idea of strapping on gear. That’s partly because these marketers Privacy and Security Concerns
tend to think like colonizers who don’t listen, not guests in seniors’ 13. I am concerned information could be given to people/
homes. For example, a recent article in mobihealthnews carries this organizations that do not have a right to it. 61%
headline: “Half of seniors believe wearables will improve health 14. I am concerned information could be given to people/ 65%
care.” organizations that would use it in a way that would harm you.
Read the actual article, however, and what you nd is that seniors 15. I am concerned about privacy in relation to in-home activity 44%
hope that by requiring their caregivers to wear monitors, they won’t monitoring.
be overcharged for hours or billed for services they didn’t get. 16. I am concerned about privacy in relation to monitoring of 41%
Marketers, take heed. If you want to seniors and their family computer use.
caregivers to accept technology, you can’t decide in advance Note: Reported percentages are for answers of Strongly Agree/Agree or Very
what’s good for them. The more invisible and unobtrusive the Concerned/Somewhat Concerned.
tech, the less you depend on the end user to play an active role Some strings attached. Older Americans almost universally agree that
in wearing and using it—and the more likely it will have long- passive (non-video) monitoring of their health and well-being is
term viability. acceptable, but they draw the line at who gets the data.
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