Raising Awareness of Assistive Technology in Older Adults Through a Community-Based, Cooperative Extension Program

This study examined whether use of equipment (technological assistance) to cope with disability was associated with use of fewer hours of help from another person (personal assistance). In a cross-sectional study of 2368 community dwellers older than 65 years with 1 or more limitations in basic activities of daily living (ADLs) from the 1994 National Long Term Care Survey, the relation between technological assistance and personal assistance was examined. Among people with ADL limitations, multivariate models showed a strong and consistent relation between technological assistance and personal assistance, whereby use of equipment was associated with fewer hours of help. Among people with disability, use of assistive technology was associated with use of fewer hours of personal assistance.

Assistive technology is essential to the lives of many people with disabilities, but disparities in usage put certain segments of the disability population at a particular disadvantage. This article uses survey data and statistical modeling to explore differences in technology usage across disability subpopulations. Responses to a 2005 survey of nearly 2,000 adult consumers of California Independent Living Centers reveal large differences in technology usage by age, race, ethnicity, education, income, and type and severity of disability. Statistical modeling of overall device usage, number of devices used, and usage of high-, medium-, and low-tech devices reveals several factors that appear to put people with disabilities at a disadvantage in accessing and using assistive devices. These factors include lower educational attainment, racial or ethnic minority status, lower household income, later disability onset, and disability related to mental as opposed to physical or sensory functioning. Findings highlight approaches needed to expand usage of and to promote equal access to technologies that enable greater social and economic participation for people with disabilities.