Digital elderly care at the crossroads of innovation and inequality: A bibliometric and descriptive review of socio-economic disparities

Amidst the global rise in ageing populations, the digitalisation of elderly care offers new possibilities, but also deepens existing socio-economic disparities. This bibliometric and descriptive analysis explores how access to digital healthcare among older adults is shaped by factors such as income, education, gender, geography, and digital literacy, positioning the discussion within the equity goals of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Drawing on peer-reviewed literature from the Scopus database and visualised using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer, this study maps global research trajectories and thematic trends. It finds that research is concentrated in high-income countries and technologically driven narratives, with limited focus on structural inequities, especially in low- and middle-income contexts. The study underscores the need to shift from technocratic fixes to inclusive and rights-based frameworks. It draws on international policy experience to show how digital support, accessible design and appropriate governance can shape more equitable approaches to digital elderly care. Finally, it presents a normative framework grounded in ethics, economics, and equity, emphasising that digital elder care must be treated not as a technical upgrade but as a social justice imperative central to achieving SDG 10.