Improving the Independence of Older Adults through Technology: Directions for Public Policy

Technology currently plays a significant role in the lives of older adults: it assists older adults in remaining independent and safe in their home, reducing the burden of family caregiving, improving socialization and engagement, and offering a dramatic increase in access to information and resources. Employed to its fullest, technology has the potential to improve the quality of life and health of older adults by preventing illness and improving the management of chronic disease through improving access to care, efficiency of care, and reducing costs of care. While technology offers innovative methods of support for family caregivers and professional caregivers alike, the most exciting element of these advances in technology is how it is changing the lives of older adults around the globe—helping to maintain older adults’ independence and increasing their control of the world around them. The recognition of the importance of technology in our aging society has significant implications for public policy and conversely for the way public policy makers will help shape the direction of current and future technologies that benefit older adults. In March 2016, the President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology (PCAST) released its Report to the President, Independence, Technology, and Connection in Older Age. While not exhaustive, the report highlights many promising technologies that exist and could have a broad effect on older adults in the near future. The three primary areas the report addresses are technology-enabled solutions for: (1) social connectivity and emotional health, (2) changes in cognitive ability, and (3) changes in physical ability. The PCAST report provides a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for the federal government to help guide policymakers, providers, industry, and other stakeholders engaged in using technology for the benefit of older adults. This article presents the key recommendations from the PCAST report, the drivers that have led to its genesis, and finally, several of the key issues that still must be addressed to take full advantage of the rapid advances in technology.