Multi-stakeholder perspectives on information communication technology training for older adults: implications for teaching and learning.
Sajay Arthanat, Kerryellen G Vroman, Catherine Lysack and 1 others
PMID 30044659WHAT IT FOUND
Care providers, trainers and older adults described individualized technology training tied to meaningful daily life as important.
They reported fear, low interest and unsupportive peers as barriers, and rapport, simplicity, patience and self-directed learning as supports.
Key findings
01Care providers described fear of the unknown and internalized ageist beliefs about learning as barriers to older adults' technology use.
02Care providers said the take-home training message was to individualize, proceed at the learner's pace, and use meaningful activities.
03Older adults described occupational accomplishment as central, with family and social connectivity repeatedly expressed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a qualitative study of perspectives, not a trial, so it does not show that ICT training improves outcomes. The older adult data came from 12 participants who had completed a prior training program. They were mostly women, had an average age of 70 years and 8 months, lived in small towns in New England, and were generally new to tablets and smart phones. Care providers reported perceived benefits rather than benefits they had personally observed. Data came from three groups collected at different time points and in different formats, and the authors did not verify data saturation. The stakeholder groups differed by age and technology disposition, so the content and structure of each data set varied considerably. The paper reports stakeholder perspectives after a training program, not the outcomes of the training program itself.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists NIH extramural research support. It does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that technology training improves older adults' function. The paper reports stakeholder perspectives and themes, not tested outcomes.