The acceptability of assistive technology to older people

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11201463
AutoresClaudine Mccreadie (King's College London), Anthea Tinker (0000-0002-0305-7198, King's College London)
Ano2005
Volume25
Fascículo1
Páginas91-110
Data de publicação2005-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
EditoraCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x0400248x
OpenAlexW2167124170
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas31

Assistive technology (AT) is defined in this paper as ‘any device or system that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do, or increases the ease and safety with which the task can be performed’ (Cowan and Turner-Smith 1999). Its importance in contributing to older people's independence and autonomy is increasingly recognised, but there has been little research into the viability of extensive installations of AT. This paper focuses on the acceptability of AT to older people, and reports one component of a multi-disciplinary research project that examined the feasibility, acceptability, costs and outcomes of introducing AT into their homes. Sixty-seven people aged 70 or more years were interviewed in-depth during 2001 to find out about their use and experience of a wide range of assistive technologies. The findings suggest a complex model of acceptability, in which a ‘felt need’ for assistance combines with ‘product quality’. The paper concludes by considering the tensions that may arise in the delivery of acceptable assistive technology

Assistive technology · Autonomy · Human–computer interaction · Independence (probability theory) · Internet privacy · Older people · Political science · Product (mathematics) · Quality (philosophy) · Task (project management) · Applied Psychology · Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility · Computer Science · Engineering · Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development · Medicine · Psychology · Technology Use by Older Adults · Gerontology