Is There an App for That?: Benefits and Challenges of Technology in Caregiving
In a time when technology has touched nearly every aspect of day-to-day life, it often feels as if the solution to any problem is, “There’s an app for that.” When it comes to caring for the older adults in our lives, we are also increasingly directed to technology for solutions. Amazon’s Alexa has been programmed to answer health-related questions and to help manage Type 2 diabetes through Sulli the Diabetes Guru. Other voice-activated devices offer personalized reminders to take medications, address personal hygiene or complete other day-to-day tasks. Software developers are also rapidly releasing tools that can facilitate communication between loved ones and their family caregivers, and offer caregivers daily status reports and emergency alerts. We can even “friend” Medicare on Facebook.
These technological solutions may seem appealing since they offer a seemingly user-friendly way to manage our caregiving responsibilities remotely. But can these tools be adapted to respond to our loved one’s unique situation? And do these technological solutions actually address our individual caregiving needs?
How plugged in are older adults?
According to a 2017 Pew Research Center study, 80 percent of adults over the age of 65 use cellphones, while 67 percent use the internet and 34 percent have social media accounts. Though older adults may be adopting to technology more and more, and may find these technological solutions for managing their care helpful, it may not always be easy for our loved one to remember how to use these devices, clearly read the screen or respond to commands or prompts. Chronic health conditions can also negatively impact their energy and capacity to learn new tasks, no matter how simple these tasks may be perceived.
The benefits and challenges of using tech solutions
Technology can offer caregivers immediate access to information, be it about a loved one’s diagnosis or the home care providers in our area, and if we adopt smart home technologies, mobile patient monitoring or GPS tracking, we can even stay informed of our loved one’s activities and condition remotely. However, there is often too much information available, with few tools available to decipher what is credible or to help navigate resources when we are not certain what we need or when our needs are constantly changing.
The challenge, then, is to find ways for technology to simplify caregiving. Studies show that the more financial, informational and emotional support and resources we have, the more resilient we are in the face of stress (Bass, D. M., & Noelker, L. S. (1997). Family Caregiving: A Focus for Aging Research and Intervention. In Kenneth, F.F. (Eds.). Gerontology: Perspectives and Issues. (2nd. Ed.) (pp. 245-264). New York: Springer Publishing Company). Technology can help link us to resources that may be helpful in real time and connect us with other caregivers for peer support. However, it may not necessarily provide us with long-term solutions to address our unmet needs.
In the end, technology may prove to be just one tool out of many in our caregiving toolkit rather than the sole solution. Technology can help us find that first referral for assistance and make it easier for us or our loved one to manage daily tasks. However, technology cannot always respond to the unique nature of each caregiving experience. Moreover, while technological interventions designed to ease caregiver strain can be useful, not all are proven to improve our overall well-being.
Ultimately, there may not yet be a substitute for interactions with caring service providers who target our specific, evolving needs; offer quality information from knowledgeable sources; and focus on mobilizing family, friend and community resources to support us wherever we are in our caregiving journey.