Supporting active and healthy ageing by ICT solutions: Preliminary lessons learned from polish, swedish and Latvian older adults

Abstract

Since the growing amount of elderly people in the population is a challenge for most of the European countries, it would be favorable to develop models and processes for elderly care and healthcare based on the new digital solutions. However the social, economic and cultural environment differ between countries in Europe and it is important to acknowledge and understand the country-specific context when new digital solutions are implemented. The aim of this paper is to investigate older adults’ needs and attitudes towards ICT solutions for independent living in three European countries: Sweden, Poland and Latvia. The study was conducted with the help of a questionnaire distributed to older adults in three regions in Sweden, Poland and Latvia. The results show that older adults in Sweden have greater requirements than respondents in Poland and Latvia regarding aspects important for satisfying and independent ageing. With respect to digital technologies supporting independent and healthy ageing, Polish respondents recognized that all such technologies should be developed; Latvians were more moderate in their opinions, while Swedish respondents were the most selective in their declarations.