Person-Centered Technology for Older Adults: Benefits,Limitations,and Considerations in Design and Use

Use of technology is widespread in healthcare, and although much has been written about innovative technology in support of older adults, little research focuses on whether technology facilitates person-centeredness—the ability to serve individuals’ interest, values, goals, and needs. Using person-centeredness as a framework, we solicited input regarding technology’s potential to maximize quality of life based on discussions with care providers and experts in technology design and aging-related healthcare. Discussion identified that technology can facilitate or impede person-centeredness depending on its adaptability and implementation. Further, co-design with older adults, caregivers, family members, and clinicians is considered critical to eliciting person-centered goals from the end-user, meaning that technology designers should involve these groups in all phases of design. Importantly, it was also noted that inequity in access based on income, location, and race/ethnicity prevents technology from reaching many older adults; therefore, person-centeredness in technology must address this issue.