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www.elderorphancare.com

TECHNOLOGY:

IS IT DRIVING OLDER ADULTS FURTHER INTO ISOLATION?

Presented by: Tammy Blackburn, COTA/L

Date: March 5, 2026

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A Snapshot of Older Adults in the U.S.

Perceptions of Technology among Older Adults

Barriers and Challenges to Technology

Solutions, Benefits, and Options

INTRODUCTION

Who is Tammy Blackburn?

What is Elder Orphan Care?

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Socio-economic

    • 4.9 million below poverty level
    • 2.6 million near poverty
    • Median income $29,398

Education

    • 89% completed high school
    • 33% Have a bachelor’s degree or higher

Healthcare

    • 96% reported having a primary care provider
    • Out of pocket healthcare $6,833

Social/Housing

    • 38% feel less connected to family & friends
    • By age 75, >42% live alone
    • 45% spend >⅓ of income on housing/rent

2020 PROFILE OF OLDER AMERICANS AGED 65+

By the Administration on Aging, USDHHS, published May 2021

Health

    • >80% HBP
    • 48% arthritis
    • 29% have diabetes
    • 22% vision trouble
    • 31% hearing loss
    • 27% cognition deficits
    • 25% cancer

Nearly all older Americans reported one or more chronic health conditions including those not named such as COPD, heart disease, stroke, and obesity.

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CDC REPORT ON HEALTH LITERACY - OCT 2024

All adults in general

    • 54% have literacy skills below a 6th grade level
    • 21% report being completely illiterate

Older adults aged 60+

    • 70% had difficulty using print materials
    • 80% had difficulty using forms and charts
    • 68% had difficulty interpreting numbers and calculations

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NATIONAL LITERACY INSTITUTE 2022-2023 STATISTICS

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AGENDA

Digital Literacy Divide

Misinformation

Lack of Awareness & Access

Information Avoidance

Functional Decline

Cognitive Decline

Complexity

Lack of Social Support

BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

References: Zhao, Y.C., Zhao, M., & Song, S. (2022), Heinz, et al. (2013) , Walsh, R., Leggett, C., Lee, J. (2019)

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PERCEPTION OF TECHNOLOGY AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Change is happening too quickly

Fear - “I will cause it to crash!”

Do not see the benefits

Devices are too complex

Lack of human contact

Feelings inadequacy; do not want to ask for help

Reference: Heinz, et al, (2013)

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Technology Impact Survey

Completed by Elder Orpha Care, 2025

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BENEFITS AND SOLUTIONS

BENEFITS

    • Better healthcare opportunities
    • Less isolation
    • Safer home environments
    • More accessibility at home and in the community

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    • Bridge the Digital Divide
    • Address security concerns
    • Education
    • Adapted devices
    • Affordability

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SOLUTIONS

References: Harvey & Nascimento, (2020), Robinson-Bert, et al. (2025)

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Technology Impact Survey

Completed by Elder Orphan Care, 2025

NO

53.3%

YES

46.7%

Would you be interested in trying adapted technology?

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Technology Impact Survey

Completed by Elder Orphan Care, 2025

Have you ever received technology training designed for older adults?

64.8%

11.6%

20.8%

2.8%

No, never had any training

Family/friends help me

I would like to if I could affford it

Yes

(216 Total Responses)

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ElliQ

Raz Mobility Memory Phone

A FEW AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Claris Companion

Amazon Echo Dot

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AGENDA

REFERENCES

Harvey, P. D., & Nascimento, V. (2020). Helping older adults overcome the challenges of Technology. Current Psychiatry, 19(9), 13–23.

https://doi.org/10.12788/cp.0021

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Heinz, M., Martin, P., Margrett, J. A., Yearns, M., Franke, W., Yang, H.-I., Wong, J., & Chang, C. K. (2013). Perceptions of technology

among older adults. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 39(1), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.3928/00989134-20121204-04

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Robinson-Bert, K., Jones, M., Seely, M., Turpin, A., Waller, M., & Yarn, J. (2025). Bridging the digital literacy divide: Addressing the

virtual context within the community-dwelling older adult population. AOTA - American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

http://www.aota.org

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Walsh, R., Leggett, C., & Lee, J. (2019). Everyday technology use, occupation-based assessment, and functional cognition in older adults

post-stroke. AOTA - American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. http://www.aota.org

Zhao, Y. C., Zhao, M., & Song, S. (2022). Online health information seeking behaviors among older adults: Systematic scoping review.

Journal of Medical Internet Research, https://doi.org/10.2196/34790

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