Perceptions, preferences, and acceptance of information and communication technologies in older-adult community care settings in Ireland: A case-study and ranked-care program analysis

Abstract

Abstract As the Irish population ages, the potential role of information and communication technologies (ICT) to assist with community care has gained prominence, as it has in many Western nations. However, little is known about how the perceptions and preferences of older people (as current care users) and the general population (as prospective care users) are constructed for ICT within the context of existing community-care provision and orthodox person-led care programs. This paper aims to address this deficit for the Irish context and contribute to international knowledge on this topic. Data for the research comes from four case studies of community care sites, three focus-group discussions and 60 face-to-face exploratory survey interviews (based around stated-preference scenarios) with a general population sample. Care preferences were rooted in orthodox forms of person-led care provision. Perceptions of technology, experience/familiarity with technology, and difficulty conceptualizing technology and need for technology assistance, are interconnected in how they influence ICT preferences and acceptance.More dominant, however, were micro- and macro-contextual factors associated with community care, namely (1) the state of the older adult community care sector; (2) the desire for person-to-person contact; (3) the context of place.