Computer technology is embedded in our Western society in a way that the majority of people
seem to forget that it is a relatively new development. The mainstream of this society has
quickly adopted computer technology as part of their daily life, and in doing so openened up
to all the possibilities this technology has to offer. The ever growing group of elderly people
(age 60 and older) in our society, which will grow from being 20 per cent of the population in
developed countries to being 32 per cent by 2050 [1], seems to have been forgotten in this
matter. With this growth and the fact that we all grow older in mind, the opportunities that
computer technology could give this group should be considered. The ongoing advance of
technology suggests that younger people’s experience with computers will not be a curcial
advantage when they grow older. It is not hard to imagine that, looking at a random website or
imput devices such as the mouse and keyboard, elderly people might have trouble in using
them.
Heller et al. [2] say about aging: “As people grow older, their abilities change. This change
inludes a decline in cognitive, physical and sensory functions, each of which will decline at
different rates relative to one another for each individual.” This makes it hard to define “the
elderly” as one consistent group, and presents a challenge for designers of computer
technology. Facing this challenge, however, can ultimately provide benefits for both elderly
people and the society.
I have chosen to write this essay about computer technology and elderly people because, as a
student in Information Science, I have the opinion that it does not get enough attention from
Information Science students. It is a subject that offers great potential in helping people in a
all sorts of ways with and trough the use of computers, therefore standing out against the
business-focused majority of research subjects in Information Science