Digital Distance in Times of Physical Distancing

ICT Infrastructure and Use in Long-Term Care Facilities

Bibliographic Data

ID3759608
AuthorsAlexander Seifert (0000-0003-3124-4588, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, corresponding author), Shelia R Cotten (0000-0002-8657-8262, Clemson University)
Year2025
Volume69
Issue9
Pages1138-1154
Publication date2025-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00027642231155361
OpenAlexW4321456699
LanguageEN
References cited37

Although information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as smartphones, tablets, and the internet have all become increasingly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, we often forget that not everyone has access to the internet or uses ICT devices. Individuals on the wrong side of the digital divide are often older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), such as "old-old" adults, who often have various functional impairments. To shed light on the initial situation shortly before the pandemic, three data sources from Switzerland were used in this study to answer the following questions: (1) Do older adults want to have internet access if and/or when they move into a LTCF? (2) What form does ICT use take (specifically internet, smartphone, and tablet use) among LTCF residents, and what need do they have for ICT support? (3) What is the state of LTCFs' ICT infrastructure and residents' level of involvement in the decision-making process related to acquiring new technologies? Community-dwelling older adults in this study reported a desire to have internet access when moving into LTCFs, and 21% of LTCF residents reported using the internet just before the pandemic began. Internet access and ICT infrastructure in LTCFs, in general, are both limited, however, and LTCF managers seldom involve older adults in the ICT decision-making process. While modern ICT usage has reached the long-term care sector, the results of this study show that compensating for a lack of physical social contacts by relying on digital solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be the sole solution. The current pandemic has reminded us that a digital gap exists and that non-use of ICTs during the pandemic can produce additional feelings of social isolation

Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Digital divide · Distancing · Health care · Information and Communications Technology · Internet access · Internet privacy · Long-term care · Pandemic · Political science · Social distance · Telehealth · Telemedicine · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Elder Abuse and Neglect · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Technology Use by Older Adults · Gerontology