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Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities

Preface Importance of technology use for older adults in continuing care retirement communities Aging population demographics Global trends U.S. trends Value of technology for increasing quality of life for older adults Technology use among older adults Residential communities for older adults Objectives for the book Recommended readings two Continuing care retirement communities and the need for technology training The CCRC model Historical development of CCRCs Statistics on independent living communities and assisted living communities Independent versus assisted living Care community analogues abroad The stress of transition Adjusting to the transition The impacts on social interactions and relationships Older adults and technology usage Barriers to usage among older adults in a CCRC Technology use and connection to modern society Recommended readings three A prototype study The idea for the study Gaining entrance Selecting the right context Preparation Assistive devices Recruiting Staging the intervention: where, when, and how to set up the training sessions Where: find lots of room When: scheduling and fitting into CCRC schedules How: reducing distractions and frustrations— making it a good experience Implementation Retention Assessment Lessons learned Recommended readings four Complexities of and best practices for implementing technology training in continuing care retirement communities Understanding the learner Physical health and mobility of older learners Dexterity and visual and hearing ability Cognitive ability Organizing the environment Physical layout of the classroom Scheduling: "You don't mess with bingo"Ensuring the proper equipment Designing and presenting the content To lecture or not to lecture Taking the content home Engaging and motivating participants Training the trainer The importance of a supportive teaching team Practice makes perfect Ask your neighbor—promoting a community where residents help one another Other considerations The importance of engaged activity directors Enabling the older adult to adapt to rapidly changing technology Expecting attrition Summary of best practices Recommended readings five Value of technology training Changing attitudes and self-efficacy Attitudes toward ICTs Self-efficacy Technology use across the study Quality of life outcomes Depression and loneliness Psychological well-being Spatial and social barriers and connecting with others Case study—Ms. W.: Transcending spatial and social barriers Tech training and understanding as a benefit unto itself Conclusion Recommended readings six Recruiting and retaining older adults in technology training programs Recruitment Recruitment sessions Formal recruitment sessions Using family council or other community meetings Informal recruitment sessions Special considerations for recruiting in research settings Recruiting at different care levels of the CCRC Retention Needs Building rapport Class time Office hours The role of the activity director in recruitment and retention Role of incentives in recruitment and retention for research projects Conclusion Recommended readings seven Training decisions Uniqueness of specific CCRC populations Anticipated numbers Individual versus group training sessions Training duration Training location Who will do the training?Background and knowledge needed Interpersonal characteristics Number of trainers and assistants needed Consistency in training personnel and methods Do it yourself or contract it out External contractor decisions—How to find and evaluate external trainers Fit with CCRC population Recommended readings eight Current needs for technological access and use in continuing care retirement communities Interface Access Keep it simple Continual support The importance of outsiders for continued use Recommended readings nine The future of technology use among older adults in continuing care retirement communities Developments in the world of technology What's for dinner? The inTRAnet in independent and assisted living communities Virtual healthcare Healthcare via teleconferencing or videoconferencing Mobile health applications Increased access and the importance of broadband Changing interfaces The trouble with going from Windows Vista to Windows 8 The move to mobile-friendly interfaces Robotics and telepresence The Internet of things Conclusion Recommended readings Thoughts on implementing training programs for older adults Further considerations and reflections Bibliography

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Importance of technology use for older adults in continuing care retirement communities
Ms. W. is an 87-year-old woman who lives in an assisted living community in Alabama. She has never been married, has no children, and only has one friend who lives several states away who she gets to see with any regularity. Other residents report that she rarely participates in group activities. She...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
The future of technology use among older adults in continuing care retirement communities
Developments in the world of technology In the Academy Award-nominated 2002 film Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays a leader in a special division of a fictional Washington, DC, police force called PreCrime in the year 2054. The film paints a picture of a technologically advanced American...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
Continuing care retirement communities and the need for technology training
The CCRC model As baby boomers have come of retirement age, adequate senior housing has become important as an industry to meet the needs of an increasingly larger aging population. As illustrated in the demographic data in Chapter 1, the number of Americans aged 65 and older has dramatically...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
Complexities of and best practices for implementing technology training in continuing care retirement communities
With the rapid increase in technological advancement as well as the increase in access to and use of technologies such as Internet-connected computers and smartphones, there has been a growth of literature focusing on the best practices in teaching new users how to adequately use a new technology. But...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
Current needs for technological access and use in continuing care retirement communities
Learning how to use technology, like learning any new skill, requires continued support and practice. Because of technology's ever-changing nature, the skills one learns must be continually updated. For older adults, this can be quite frustrating and can impede the continued use of technology. The skills...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY USE AMONG OLDER ADULTS
A research study by Mann and Tomita12 found that older adults owned an average of 13 devices and reported using 91% of them. Overall satisfaction was 89% but this varied by device category. Hearing aids, magnihers, canes, and wheelchairs were found to be the most problematic due to not helping with the...
(Geriatric rehabilitation : from bedside to curbside)
Technology use among older adults
The Pew Internet and American Life Study recently reported that although 86% of adults use the Internet, only 59% of adults aged 65 and over go online. The American Community Survey reported a similar number, with 65% of older adult households (65 years of age and older) having some sort of computer...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
Recruiting and retaining older adults in technology training programs
Older adults who have never used technology may be difficult to recruit and retain for a technology training program. At their stage of life, they may not see the value in learning to use a computer, the Internet, or any other type of technology. Learning to use such things as the Internet can seem more...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)
Assistive Technology for Older Adults
Marcia J. Scherer CONTENTS 29.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................591 29.2 Legal Definition of Assistive Technology Devices and Services.........................................591 29.3 Finding...
(Geriatric rehabilitation : from bedside to curbside)
Value of technology for increasing quality of life for older adults
As compared to younger age groups, older adults often experience higher levels of loneliness, social isolation, depression, bereavement, health decline, and disabilities. When these co-occur, the quality of life for older adults can be even more compromised. Although a significant portion of older adults...
(Designing technology training for older adults in continuing care retirement communities)