Smart Wearables are Enhancing the Health of Older Adults

Brandon Park - Department of Medical Technology

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2018.10.006

The development of smart wearable technology for health monitoring has increased significantly during the past decade. The importance of these technologies in encouraging healthy lifestyles and managing chronic conditions is growing as they become more accurate and advanced. In their study, Junde Li et al. suggest a "Smart Wearables Acceptance Model" to better understand the variables affecting older adults' acceptance and use of wearable health monitoring devices. According to the study's findings, older adults' adoption of smart wearables for health monitoring is highly influenced by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and self-efficacy. These elements emphasize the value of perceived advantages, ease of interaction, and people's confidence in technology. The results of the study contribute to our knowledge of the elements that influence older individuals' willingness to utilize wearable health monitoring devices. Understanding this demographic's requirements and preferences is essential for developing and promoting technology that will ultimately improve the aging population's health outcomes and quality of life.

Wearable health monitoring devices may be used to remotely monitor the well-being of elderly populations that are particularly susceptible to disasters or accidents, enabling timely intervention. Additionally, by showing trends and patterns in the health status of older adults living in challenging situations, the data gathered by these devices could benefit public health studies and improve readiness for the next humanitarian operations. Humanitarian organizations could support active aging and self-care while attending to the unique needs of older adults by advocating the implementation of wearable devices in such situations. In humanitarian situations, efforts to educate and include older adults in using these technologies could improve health monitoring as well as their digital literacy and general well-being.

References:

Li, J., Ma, Q., Chan, A. H., & Man, S. S. (2019). Health monitoring through wearable technologies for older adults: Smart wearables acceptance model. Applied ergonomics, 75, 162–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2018.10.006