Wind of Change? Attitudes towards Aging and Use of Medical Technology

Wiktoria Wilkowska, Julia Heek, Philipp Brauner, Martina Ziefle

2019

Abstract

Shifts in demographic developments have led to changed needs and requirements in healthcare. Rising life expectancy and improved medical healthcare enable a more independent and healthier lifestyle of (older) persons, but also changes expectations and perceptions of aging, and health-supporting technologies. Knowledge about attitudes towards aging, medical assistive technologies, and impacting user factors (especially age and health status) is limited with regard to a broad sample of participants. In the present study (N=585), we therefore examined in an online-survey current attitudes towards aging and quality of life in older age, as well as perceptions and acceptance of health-supporting technologies, taking age and health status as user factors into account. Results revealed significant effects of age and health condition on the perception of life quality in older age. In addition, positive perceptions of aging, technology acceptance, as well as benefits and barriers were significantly influenced by the respondents’ age. In contrast, health status significantly affected the negative perceptions of aging. Under impacts of age and health condition as user factors, results of the study allow a deeper understanding of changing patterns of perceived aging and prevailing opinions regarding acceptance of medical technology.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Wilkowska W., Heek J., Brauner P. and Ziefle M. (2019). Wind of Change? Attitudes towards Aging and Use of Medical Technology.In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health - Volume 1: ICT4AWE, ISBN 978-989-758-368-1, pages 80-91. DOI: 10.5220/0007693000800091

in Bibtex Style

@conference{ict4awe19,
author={Wiktoria Wilkowska and Julia Heek and Philipp Brauner and Martina Ziefle},
title={Wind of Change? Attitudes towards Aging and Use of Medical Technology},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health - Volume 1: ICT4AWE,},
year={2019},
pages={80-91},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0007693000800091},
isbn={978-989-758-368-1},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies for Ageing Well and e-Health - Volume 1: ICT4AWE,
TI - Wind of Change? Attitudes towards Aging and Use of Medical Technology
SN - 978-989-758-368-1
AU - Wilkowska W.
AU - Heek J.
AU - Brauner P.
AU - Ziefle M.
PY - 2019
SP - 80
EP - 91
DO - 10.5220/0007693000800091