Digital Innovations : Opportunity to Elderly People?

Abstract

Growing number of ageing people is a worldwide phenomenon because of the longer life expectancy and because of the lower birth rate not only in Finland but in all industrialized countries in the world. This means consequences for the societies, for the economies and mostly, for the elderly people themselves. These implications are related e.g. to the growing need of health care and social welfare services, which will require totally new solutions based on new technology i.e. artificial intelligence and digitalization. In this paper we will present results from the survey made in 2018, where around 50 elderly people were interviewed in South Finland. Results of these qualitative semi-structured interviews will open the window to the needs and challenges as well as hopes and desires that the elderly people have in their every-day life. The focus of interviews is especially in their use of digital technology and devices as well as in their use of any kind of digital services.