From muscle cars to modems, the Beatles to broadband, Woodstock to Wi-Fi, technology has been a central element of popular culture as defined by the “baby boom” generation. Having hands-on experience with everything from the first personal computers to the latest smartphones, baby boomers have a unique relationship with technology - different from any generation before or since.
While the stereotype is true - boomers do learn about technology from their children and grandchildren - they tend to be eager learners who actively share knowledge with their peers. This is illustrated by the fact that baby boomers make up the fastest-growing demographic on Facebook.
An estimated 78 million boomers are moving toward retirement age, and today’s retirement, assisted-living, rehabilitation, nursing and long-term care facilities need the technology infrastructure to support the social and safety needs of this rapidly growing population. Wireless technology is particularly well-suited to this task because systems are easy to install and use, highly reliable and cost effective.
Better Living through Technology
For tech-savvy boomers, high-speed wireless Internet access directly impacts quality of life. Studies show that social networking can limit isolation, loneliness and depression among aging adults by giving them a means to connect with loved ones and maintain relationships.
“Maintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life when mobility becomes increasingly limited is challenging for the elderly,” said Dr. Sherry G. Ford, an associate professor of Communications Studies at University of Montevallo in Alabama. “Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult.”
According to a study by the American Journal of Public Health, which studied the relationship between social networks and dementia, 18 percent of women with low "social network" scores developed dementia, while only 10 percent of women with stronger social networks did.
“Social media sites can be a powerful ally for an older adult," said Lawrence T. Force, professor of psychology and director of the Center on Aging and Policy at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y. “The value of connections can add a sense of belonging and connecting across the lifespan. Virtual or face-to-face interactions, although different in nature, have the ability to create the power of presence.”
mHealth Market Booming
Beyond social connections, a wireless framework offers indispensible healthcare benefits. Facilities with campus-wide wireless coverage can provide nurse call capabilities with location tracking, monitoring for fall prevention and compliance to care plans, mobile staff communications, and networked cameras for security.
Wireless also enables a wide range of mobile-enabled healthcare (mHealth) technologies. A recent report by the Center for Technology and Aging predicts that the mHealth market will approach $5 billion by 2014 and more than double by 2020, driven in part by adults’ rapidly increasing acceptance and use of technology in their lives. The report says mHealth technologies can help millions of older Americans as well as their physicians and caregivers in five key areas: managing chronic disease, using medications properly, avoiding risks, accessing online health information and staying well.
Chronic disease management technologies provide a range of messaging, monitoring and interactive communications functions to support interactive care processes, reduce unnecessary resource utilization and improve care outcomes. Medication adherence technologies have been rapidly expanding and can assist patients and caregivers with obtaining proper medication information, patient education, medication organization, dispensing, dose reminders and notification when doses are missed. Safety monitoring developers are focusing their attention on mHealth technologies that detect and ultimately prevent falls and wandering by monitoring patients’ location, balance and gait.
“mHealth changes the traditional delivery of healthcare, allowing for continuous, pervasive healthcare anytime, anywhere,” said David Lindeman, PhD, director of the Center for Technology and Aging. “With mHealth, providers, caregivers and patients have the opportunity to continuously monitor health conditions and access health information outside of either the physician’s office or the patient’s home. It promotes efficiencies in care-management and improves individual and population health outcomes.”
