Presentation
DH13 - Understanding Perspectives on Privacy for Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities Using Digital Home Assistants
DescriptionProjections are that roughly 25 percent of the U.S. population will be over the age of 65 by the year 2040.1 Older adults want to retain their autonomy to age in place in their communities2,3 and technology holds promise to support this preference. Technology supports for everyday activities may be particularly useful for adults aging with mobility disabilities. For example, digital home assistants (DHAs) can be used to control the environment (e.g., turn on lights that are not easily accessible), maintain social connectedness through video calls, and manage health and wellness.
However, adoption of these technologies is dependent on the cost-benefit ratio perceived by the user. For example, older adults report that some of the reasons they do not use technology include having a lack of knowledge on how technology works, low self-confidence, and concerns about their privacy and security.5 Concerns about privacy could be a barrier for using DHAs given they are capable of capturing and storing ambient voice recordings.
The present analysis focused on understanding perceptions of adults aging with mobility disabilities with respect to what type of data is being collected and how it is being used. This analysis is part of a larger longitudinal study testing the efficacy of DHAs for adults aging with mobility disabilities, and exploring the benefits, facilitators, and barriers of adopting and maintaining these technologies. Participants were given a suite of digital assistance technologies containing an Amazon Echo Show 8”, Amazon Smart Plug, and a Philips Hue Smart Light along with specially created instructional materials (e.g., user guides). Participants responded to interview questions and questionnaires at multiple time points for up to 10 weeks. They were asked about their experience with technologies in general, expectations of the study technologies prior to receiving them and their thoughts about the technologies after they were introduced to them and after they had used them throughout the study.
We focus here on the 10-week interview data, which explored older adults’ understanding and perceptions of privacy when using their DHA; how they defined privacy, what kind of protective strategies they used when interacting with DHAs; and what improvements they suggested to minimize their privacy concerns. Participants were 14 people (9 female, 5 male), aged 61-91 (M=70.5, SD=7.6), who self-identified as having a long-term mobility disability. We conducted a thematic analysis using a combined conceptually- and data-driven approach. High level themes included device features, functions, reliability, complexity, cost-benefit ratio, and awareness of privacy risk .
After initial analysis of the data, we found that older adults believe having control over their own data is important to them (N=14). When we asked if privacy or convenience was more important when using their DHA, 7 participants reported privacy was more important, 5 reported convenience, and 2 were mixed. When asked to elaborate on their feelings, participants offered a range of responses. Some expressed concerns about technology invading their privacy, such as listening to their environment and conversations. Others felt indifferent about sharing information with the technology, as they believed the convenience it provided outweighed any privacy concerns. Additionally, participants mentioned possessing a level of trust in the company behind the device, Amazon. We also explored if older adults knew of the privacy settings their Echo Show has such as being able to mute the device and delete their command history. We found that the majority of our participants did not know of these features, but when informed about them, they found these features to be a good thing for additional privacy precautions, and most participants stated they would now use these features with their personal DHAs.
These findings provide insight into the acceptance of DHAs by those aging with mobility disabilities, including their attitudes of privacy with respect to DHAs and the potential barriers and facilitators to their use. The findings have implications for design and training to promote acceptance and adoption of DHAs that can support older adults’ autonomy in their homes and communities, especially those aging with mobility disabilities who may need additional supports for everyday activities in their homes.
References:
1. U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). The graying of America: More older adults than kids by 2035. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/03/graying-america.html
2. Older Adults’ Preparedness to Age in Place, National Poll on Healthy Aging, https://dx.doi.org/10.7302/4278
3. Rogers, W. A., Ramadhani, W. A., Harris, M. T. (2020). Defining aging in place: The intersectionality of space, person, and time. Innovation in Aging, 4, 1–11 doi:10.1093/geroni/igaa036
4. Melenhorst AS, Rogers WA, Bouwhuis DG. Older adults' motivated choice for technological innovation: evidence for benefit-driven selectivity. Psychol Aging. 2006 Mar;21(1):190-5. doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.21.1.190. PMID: 16594804. (Mitzner, et al., 2010)
5. Mitzner, T. L., Boron, J. B., Fausset, C. B., Adams, A. E., Charness, N., Czaja, S. J., Dijkstra, K., Fisk, A. D., Rogers, W. A., & Sharit, J. (2010). Older adults talk technology: Technology usage and attitudes. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1710–1721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.020
However, adoption of these technologies is dependent on the cost-benefit ratio perceived by the user. For example, older adults report that some of the reasons they do not use technology include having a lack of knowledge on how technology works, low self-confidence, and concerns about their privacy and security.5 Concerns about privacy could be a barrier for using DHAs given they are capable of capturing and storing ambient voice recordings.
The present analysis focused on understanding perceptions of adults aging with mobility disabilities with respect to what type of data is being collected and how it is being used. This analysis is part of a larger longitudinal study testing the efficacy of DHAs for adults aging with mobility disabilities, and exploring the benefits, facilitators, and barriers of adopting and maintaining these technologies. Participants were given a suite of digital assistance technologies containing an Amazon Echo Show 8”, Amazon Smart Plug, and a Philips Hue Smart Light along with specially created instructional materials (e.g., user guides). Participants responded to interview questions and questionnaires at multiple time points for up to 10 weeks. They were asked about their experience with technologies in general, expectations of the study technologies prior to receiving them and their thoughts about the technologies after they were introduced to them and after they had used them throughout the study.
We focus here on the 10-week interview data, which explored older adults’ understanding and perceptions of privacy when using their DHA; how they defined privacy, what kind of protective strategies they used when interacting with DHAs; and what improvements they suggested to minimize their privacy concerns. Participants were 14 people (9 female, 5 male), aged 61-91 (M=70.5, SD=7.6), who self-identified as having a long-term mobility disability. We conducted a thematic analysis using a combined conceptually- and data-driven approach. High level themes included device features, functions, reliability, complexity, cost-benefit ratio, and awareness of privacy risk .
After initial analysis of the data, we found that older adults believe having control over their own data is important to them (N=14). When we asked if privacy or convenience was more important when using their DHA, 7 participants reported privacy was more important, 5 reported convenience, and 2 were mixed. When asked to elaborate on their feelings, participants offered a range of responses. Some expressed concerns about technology invading their privacy, such as listening to their environment and conversations. Others felt indifferent about sharing information with the technology, as they believed the convenience it provided outweighed any privacy concerns. Additionally, participants mentioned possessing a level of trust in the company behind the device, Amazon. We also explored if older adults knew of the privacy settings their Echo Show has such as being able to mute the device and delete their command history. We found that the majority of our participants did not know of these features, but when informed about them, they found these features to be a good thing for additional privacy precautions, and most participants stated they would now use these features with their personal DHAs.
These findings provide insight into the acceptance of DHAs by those aging with mobility disabilities, including their attitudes of privacy with respect to DHAs and the potential barriers and facilitators to their use. The findings have implications for design and training to promote acceptance and adoption of DHAs that can support older adults’ autonomy in their homes and communities, especially those aging with mobility disabilities who may need additional supports for everyday activities in their homes.
References:
1. U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). The graying of America: More older adults than kids by 2035. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/03/graying-america.html
2. Older Adults’ Preparedness to Age in Place, National Poll on Healthy Aging, https://dx.doi.org/10.7302/4278
3. Rogers, W. A., Ramadhani, W. A., Harris, M. T. (2020). Defining aging in place: The intersectionality of space, person, and time. Innovation in Aging, 4, 1–11 doi:10.1093/geroni/igaa036
4. Melenhorst AS, Rogers WA, Bouwhuis DG. Older adults' motivated choice for technological innovation: evidence for benefit-driven selectivity. Psychol Aging. 2006 Mar;21(1):190-5. doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.21.1.190. PMID: 16594804. (Mitzner, et al., 2010)
5. Mitzner, T. L., Boron, J. B., Fausset, C. B., Adams, A. E., Charness, N., Czaja, S. J., Dijkstra, K., Fisk, A. D., Rogers, W. A., & Sharit, J. (2010). Older adults talk technology: Technology usage and attitudes. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1710–1721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.020
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeMonday, March 254:45pm - 6:15pm CDT
LocationSalon C
Digital Health
Simulation and Education
Hospital Environments
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices
Patient Safety Research and Initiatives