Making Telecare desirable rather than a last resort

Abstract

Despite reported benefits of Telecare use for older adults, uptake of Telecare in the United Kingdom remains relatively low. Non-users of Telecare are an under-researched group in the Telecare field. We conducted 22 qualitative individual semi-structured interviews to explore the views and opinions of current non-users of Telecare regarding barriers and facilitators to its use, and explored considerations which may precede their decision to accept, or reject, Telecare. Framework analysis identified a number of themes which influence the outcome and timing of this decision, including peace of mind (for the individual and their family), the strength and composition of an individual's support network, the impact of changing personal and health circumstances, and lack of communication about Telecare (e.g. advertising). A cost-benefit decision process appears to take place for the potential user, whereby the benefit of peace of mind is weighed against perceived 'costs' of using Telecare. Telecare is often perceived as a last resort rather than a preventative measure. A number of barriers to Telecare use need to be addressed if individuals are to make fully informed decisions regarding their Telecare use, and to begin using Telecare at a time when it could provide them with optimal benefit. Although the study was set in England, the findings may be relevant for other countries where Telecare is used.2

“So, Tell Me What Kind of a Thing It Really Is”—Finnish Older Adults Making Sense of Home Technology

“…In this article, home technology refers to the specific solutions used in the Finnish trial, examined in the present study and, more widely, to a variety of technological solutions designed to enable or improve living at home or to manage risks related to independent living, also referred to as 'assistive technology' (Fischer, David, Crotty, Dierks, & Safran, 2014), 'telecare' (Bentley, Powell, Orrell, & Mountain, 2018), 'mHealth' (Spann & Stewart, 2018) or, more widely, 'gerontechnology' (Delello & McWhorter, 2015). When this kind of technology is used for communicating or exchanging information (e.g., real-time video communication, interactive health or rehabilitation apps or programs), it can be understood as digital media technology.…”

“…Regarding older adults, identified barriers to adopting assistive technologies consist, for example, of privacy concerns (Alsulami & Atkins, 2016), concerns over cost (Bentley et al, 2018), safety and trust (Lie, Lindsay, & Brittain, 2015), functionality, difficulties of use and suitability for daily use (Yusif, Soar, & Hafeez-Baig, 2016), lack of confidence (Cook et al, 2016), negative stigma and reduced independence associated with the equipment (Bentley et al, 2018). Acceptance of such technology, in turn, is argued to be connected with expected benefits, characteristics of older adults such as cultural background or desire to age in place (Peek et al, 2014(Peek et al, , 2015, perceived need for or interest in technology, willingness to invest effort in using the device, positive influence of social networks (Peek et al, 2015), as well as perceived peace of mind provided by technology (Bentley et al, 2018).…”

“…The viewpoint and needs of older adults have been acknowledged in several gerontechnology studies (Claes, Devriendt, Tournoy, & Milisen, 2015;Alsulami & Atkins, 2016;Bentley et al, 2018;González-Oñate et al, 2015;Ziefle, Röcker, & Holzinger, 2011;Peek at al., 2015;Lie, Lindsay, & Brittain, 2015). However, many of these studies are based on surveys or interviews of people who might not actually use home technology, but rather, the data reflect their attitudes towards and conceptions of the issue.…”

“…Technologies are seen as one answer to the burning question of how to provide care for the older population with minimal costs in a climate of decreasing resources. (Bentley, Powell, Orrell, & Mountain, 2018;Greenhalgh, Procter, Wherton, Sugarhood, & Shaw, 2012;Sosiaali-ja terveysministeriö, 2017. ) In this article, media literacy is discussed in the context of older adults and home technology.…”

Introduksjon til temanummeret Teknologi i helseog omsorg

“…Kritikerne av begrepet vil hevde at det at all teknologi brukt for å skape trivsel, velvaere og gode levekår for enkeltpersoner og grupper ses på som velferdsteknologi, gjør at begrepet blir for vidt: Velferdsteknologi blir alt og ingenting. De hevder at andre og mer spesifikke begrep som for eksempel omsorgsteknologi («telecare»), gir en bedre pekepinn på hva verktøyene, utstyret og apparatene skal bidra til (Mort et al, 2015;Berge, 2016;Bentley et al, 2018). Forskere som forsvarer bruken av begrepet velferdsteknologi, peker imidlertid på at det ikke er gitte egenskaper ved teknologien, men bruks-og tjenestesammenhengene som definerer noe som velferdsteknologi.…”