Page 210 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
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avje starostnikov | health of the elderly 208 Studies suggest positive effects of using ICT, especially to reduce feelings
of loneliness. Restrictions on the cognitive and physical limitations of
the elderly need to be taken into account when designing ICTs for the
elderly. Older people may face special barriers to learning about ICT,
the Internet and computers due to age-related sensory, physical and
cognitive changes. Elderly people are often concerned about privacy
when using ICT, but using it could partially relieve the health care
system and help to detect health complications earlier and consequently
reduce costs in the health care system. The attitude of the elderly towards
ICT has important implications for the design and implementation of
adapted forms of ICT related to health. New technology can to some
extent replace the person caring for the elderly and give them a greater
sense of independence and security.

Keywords: elderly, information communication technology, health,
safety.

Introduction
Currently, almost a fifth of the European population is over 65 years old. The
use of information and communication technology (ICT) is increasing rapid-
ly (Monaco et al., 2019) and has recently become an integral part of life. It of-
fers new tools that enable and facilitate daily activities and also lead to health
improvements, as ICT provides older people with access to new information
and resources. Those who use this technology are more likely to report bet-
ter health. They want health-related ICT that provides them with independ-
ence, security and protection, and enables them to socialize, manage their own
health, and assist them in their day-to-day activities (Kim et al., 2020).

Understanding the willingness of older people to adopt new technologies
is one of the key components in determining which older people would bene-
fit from ICT. Technologies are increasingly seen as a potential resource to fa-
cilitate or improve everyday life, as it is about adapting to aging and a particu-
lar environment (Courtney et al., 2008). Most of the literature refers to only
one accepted type of technology, ignoring the fact that the use of a particular
technology is highly dependent on the availability and use of technological and
non-technological alternatives (Peek et al., 2019).

The aim of the article is to present the attitude of the elderly towards ICT.

Methods
We performed a systematic review of the literature using a descriptive meth-
od. The collection of units for analysis took place in March 2021 with the help
of DiKUL and the international databases Medline, ScienceDirect, CINAHL
with full text and Google Scholar. We also searched using the COBIB.SI data-
base.
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