Author: Dr. Lanning Tian, Chairwoman of Zhongguancun SSIDC Smart Health and Senior Care Industrial Alliance
The theme of "aging in the digital world" brings to mind the concept of "humanity" and the ability to empathize. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is some degree of harm caused by the digital divide, and more content on this topic is needed to help us recover psychologically. Today's theme has aroused strong reactions among many practitioners in the elderly care industry who are members of the SIDA Alliance (Zhongguancun SIDA Intelligent Health and Elderly Care Industry Alliance). Many frontline workers can deeply understand the difficulties brought about by digitalization, so there is a need for a voice like today's to express the real difficulties encountered in this stage. Sometimes, we often say that we should turn bad things into good things. The first step is to acknowledge that this is a bad thing. Of course, humans are capable of turning the challenges posed by this digital predicament into opportunities, but it requires more communication like today's theme.
a. The dignity of the elderly should be respected and maintained.
The theme sharing mentioned various obstacles to caring for parents. In fact, long-term care for the elderly often requires two basic goals: using social services to support their daily lives and maintaining their dignity. Especially in terms of dignity, it is an extremely important service goal in caregiving, but it is currently lacking in daily life and care services. Even artificial mechanical rules may be introduced, which can cause a significant sense of compulsion in the elderly and seriously damage their dignity. Therefore, society needs to pay attention to and continuously express the importance of the dignity of the elderly.
b. Solving the aging problem requires continuous discovery and expression.
Currently, many advocates of the information society, Internet thinkers, and researchers in the field of aging have conducted in-depth discussions on the aging problem. For "caregivers" engaged in frontline elderly care-related work, this means they are no longer alone. Experts and scholars can deeply express the real problems encountered by caregivers, which is positive information that allows us to foresee a better future. Aging-related issues need to be treated seriously and seriously, and they are also very representative issues. When a problem is discovered, the conflict helps us understand the relationship between the elderly and other age groups, which in turn helps us to take more measures to promote positive intergenerational interaction in society.
c. Enhancing Digital Literacy Requires Strengthening Knowledge Popularization and Regulatory Construction
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the issue of digital exclusion, particularly among the elderly who experience more severe forms of digital exclusion. This digital exclusion is closely related to "digital literacy." For instance, even though my parents have a certain level of education, they are unfamiliar with the new rules in the information society and have questions such as "why do these rules exist?" that are difficult to explain. In fact, many elderly people are not unwilling to learn, but lack the necessary knowledge and education to understand new concepts. This lack of education is not only limited to the elderly, as anyone can lack knowledge about new concepts. Some groups may have difficulties accepting new technologies as they present a challenge to their existing way of life. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how to popularize digital literacy among these groups. In reality, some groups, especially the elderly, can make rational judgments about the authenticity of things in the real world. However, they are easily deceived in the digital world. This "deception" does not only refer to fraudulent behavior that violates the law but also includes automatic payment mechanisms in various mobile applications. It is important to protect the elderly from such practices through policy or legal means, and to explicitly prohibit commercial activities such as "digital scams" and "digital temptations."
d. Enhancing Elderly Care Services Requires Making Full Use of Digital Technology
Thanks to today's theme, many members of the Sino-German Alliance for Technology and Innovation have realized that digital technology is a vital asset in home-based elderly care services. In the past, companies involved in the digitization of elderly care services often considered digital technology to be merely an auxiliary tool with a limited role. However, the concept of digital technology as an important asset has elevated the position of digital technology in elderly care services, providing relevant companies with new ideas and a broader perspective, and upgrading the concept of service models towards greater intelligence and digitization.
e. Technological development and application should have a "human-centered" perspective.
In the process of digital development, issues of intergenerational fairness also arise. Currently, most employees of information technology companies are in their 20s, and even those over 30 are relatively rare. While such companies can be described as "energetic," the worldview, technological development, and social observation of this young workforce are often limited by their age, resulting in an information society culture that reflects this limitation. For example, even if technology advances at an unprecedented rate, there are no physiological limitations for young people, and they do not encounter the difficulties associated with aging. Therefore, it is difficult for technological development and application to take into account the perspective of older adults from the outset. In recent years, some internet companies have followed government guidance and made their products more age-friendly, but they still view this behavior as more of a goodwill gesture rather than a core business activity. Information technology companies do not place enough emphasis on ongoing age-friendly upgrades. When facing issues related to age-friendly information technology raised by frontline caregivers, it is important to deeply consider and study the fairness for the predominantly young workforce of information technology companies. I believe this work can be a good way for the first generation of internet pioneers to start their "third life" by creating an intergenerational fusion of "human-centered" information society through their own life experiences and mastery of digital knowledge, leading young people in this endeavor.
f. Traditional social lifestyles should be preserved during the digitalization process.
As digital society advances, it is also necessary to consider the value of traditional society. Many advocates of the information society have been leading people towards digitalization of all aspects of life, including ordering food. However, this has caused significant psychological pressure for many elderly people when dining out. Therefore, we need to rethink the issue and preserve traditional social lifestyles during the process of digitalization.
