Knowledge, attitudes, and challenges related to technology among older adults living in older adult homes in Cyprus

Technology’s influence on older adults’ lives has attracted the attention of many researchers in the last decade. In this context, the present study explored older adults’ knowledge of technology and examined how their attitudes and difficulties in using technology relate to their sociodemographic characteristics among residents of older adult homes in Cyprus. A purposive sampling study was applied. The study environment was two older adults’ homes in Limassol. The study participants had to be older adults who lived in one of the older adults’ homes that consent to participate in the present study. Data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The final sample consisted of 54 older adults. Most of them were female (n = 35, 64.8%). The mean age of the sample was 80.72 years old (min = 65 max = 99, SD = 10.78). There was a statistical association between gender, family status, previous employment status, educational status and children in family with participants’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs according to technology. The results highlight the need to educate older adults to use often use technology to communicate and to seek information fearlessly. Thus, more research is needed to investigate in larger samples the factors that are associated with technology use among the older adult.