Framtidas eldre - hva mener de egentlig om velferdsteknologi? : En studie om holdninger til teknologi i morgendagens helsetjeneste

Abstract

Background: In 2040 the number of elderly (< 80 years) will double. Welfare technology is introduced as one of the solutions to the challenges health care is facing (Parliamentary report 29 (2012-2013)). There is little data on the elderly’s attitudes about services in the years to come and their attitudes toward welfare technology.Aim: The aim of the study was to mapattitudes towardwelfare technology among the future generation of elderlyin the municipality of Grimstad, as well as to assess predictors for positivetechnology attitudes.Research method: On the basis of Theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985),aquestionnaire was developed. Itcovered the following themes:demographics, housing, health, giving and receiving help, social networking, technology use, attitudes towardusing welfare technology and expectations for future needs.The questionnaireconsisted of 66 questions. The sample was 975 participants. A total of 551 questionnaires was returned, giving a response rate of 56.5%.Findings:Eight predictors werefound to be significantly associated with attitudes towardtechnology. They concerned education, access to technology, willingness to pay, independence and age of housing. The analysis indicated that socioeconomic factors were associated with attitudes toward technology.The respondents seem to find autonomy important. Conclusion:The results indicate that the majority ofrespondents have positive attitudes towards technology, and that they probably will acquire technology. Decisionmakers should focus on early introduction of technology with extra focus on vulnerable groups. Key words:elderly, welfare technology, attitudes toward technology, socioeconomic factors, community health service