‘The end of youth is not the end of one's life - rather, it is just the beginning.’ This thought is conveyed through Robert Browning’s poem “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, A whole I planned, Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'' These lines sound prophetic when read in light of today’s scenario and the way technology has taken world by storm. In popular imagination, using technology effortlessly is prerogative of youth. Older generation on the other hand is trying to enter this world with tentative steps - part consternation and part misgivings.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has stepped up to bridge this digital divide through observance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) on 17th of May every year with main objective of raising awareness of about applications of digital technology to society. The theme for this year’s WTISD is “Digital Technologies for Older Persons and Healthy Ageing”.
Growing old is a natural phenomenon, but it can become a problem in absence of proper care, love and support from family. A good majority of ageing population prefer to live independently in their own homes and communities. Older persons, particularly those who live alone, can age gracefully by taking assistance of emerging digital technologies to maintain their independence.
One major challenge for older persons living independently is to overcome loneliness and social isolation. Various technology-based interventions are available to address communication needs of elderly to overcome social isolation. While senior citizen groups facilitate elderly to physically meet each other, ability to hear is key to proximity communication.
Digital technology can aid when natural hearing deteriorates. Current hearing-aids are generally designed for one-on-one conversations at close distances and are less effective in noisy situations. Emerging advanced hearing technology can dramatically improve quality of life for older persons, but these devices need to become affordable and user friendly.
A health application can accurately record, analyze and update patient-vitals such as blood pressure or heart rate and relay any inconsistencies to caregiver or doctor. COVID-19 pandemic highlighted importance of telemedicine for regular consultations. With 5G and Artificial Intelligence enabling better remote monitoring for both doctor and patient, it is possible to get care in comfort of one’s home. The in-built trackers in wearable devices are even enabling elderly patients to track their own health.
A few decades ago, senior citizens spent time by reading books and newspapers or watched movies occasionally. With advent of multichannel televisions, it has become closest friend of elderly to replace newspapers and movie theatres.
When Frances Cairncross wrote ‘The Death of Distance’ in 1997, concept of internet and its miraculous possibilities were in the realm of prediction. But today it is a reality we live with and cannot do without because distance is no longer what it used to be. It is quite common to find senior citizens living far away from their near and dear ones using voice, video and messaging to remain connected to their children. Mobile phone has become an important tool for older people to live independently and maintain social contacts. The very thought that old parents can be contacted on mobile phone is a reassuring thought for children living far away.
Quite a few old people are perfectly comfortable with latest smartphones, while for many others the facilities provided by such a device could be intimidating. Failing eyesight coupled with touchscreen operation of small fonts and icons pose a serious hurdle for elderly. Mobile phone manufacturers have started addressing needs of this segment of population. ‘No frills’ handsets with special features for benefit of elderly are available at affordable prices. Easy to read large fonts, bigger buttons, one touch emergency button, bright torchlight and SOS hooter with longer charging-interval batteries are special features of these handsets. Recent versions have a magnifying glass with added facility of listening to music. A high-end mobile handset offers challenging video games, like SUDOKU, to help keep the brain active.
The internet opens up whole range of opportunities enriching repertoire of knowledge, sharing images and videos, executing on line banking transactions, chatting with friends and relations, shopping on line and tracking personal investments. The possibilities are endless. Internet can help prevent boredom, keep one connected with friends and family and help to stay organized.
Personal mobility is another key factor in living independently. An individual must have ability to control his or her movement, avoid slips and falls, and be able to move around. Advanced technology provides Robots for such assisted living. A gadget based on Artificial Intelligence fixed to the body of an individual can monitor his or her movements, sense a fall and alert care givers to rush to the person’s aid. A visually impaired person can be guided by an intelligent helmet worn by the person through image recognition, voice recognition and positioning technologies.
Technology has pervaded every aspect of our lives and one cannot shy away from the fact that the elderly is as entitled to its benefits as any other age group. The Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE) project of Government of India has been formulated to encourage youth and private sector to bring forth innovative products for elderly using latest technology.
Thus technology has brought many innovations for benefit of elderly. It is now for the elderly to take advantage of the same for the purpose of healthy living.
