丁香园AV

Imagine you don鈥檛 know housing websites exist. Or know how to navigate online ads. Or have a device to access the internet. You鈥檙e put at a serious disadvantage when it comes to accessing housing.

In North America 鈥�.鈥� Meaning the majority of rental properties are accessible through online platforms. Older adults who are not part of this digital world have limited opportunities to find housing.

We don鈥檛 want to suggest that finding an apartment is impossible but, if you are an older adult lacking technological resources and digital literacy, it may feel overwhelming.

Making technology more accessible

How can we move forward in this digital world, when so many are being left behind? We should at least make technology accessible, so the choice is up to the user.

When it comes to older adults, having the liberty to choose their involvement with technology can provide independence and autonomy. When the decision is theirs to make, their .

While and may have trouble recognizing fake housing advertisements, and can online, promote the use of trusted websites and avoid disclosing personal information such as SIN and credit card information. This can actively enable older adults to feel more comfortable and confident online.

We are a part of the Aging in the Right Place (AIRP) Project which looks at the causes of homelessness for older adults in order to evaluate .

An integral part of this project is to not only be in close contact with the people working towards supporting this population, but also with older people experiencing homelessness themselves. In our preliminary client interviews of those living in the temporary housing, we鈥檙e often told how invaluable technology is when searching for stable housing.

Technology can improve quality of life

As a society we assume older adults are not interested in various technologies, . Failing to include older adults as technology users further perpetuates the .

This . Opportunities that do exist to learn are often found in schools or at work 鈥� which are environments many older adults no longer frequent.

Technology can improve the quality of life for older adults by providing ease, inclusion and comfort by making the essentials, like finding housing, more accessible.

It鈥檚 time we . Let鈥檚 empower older adults to be digital citizens.

As digital citizens, they will have more opportunities to secure housing and tools to prevent homelessness. These supports will not only give them a sense of involvement in a technologically dependent world, but also provide a sense of belonging and inclusion in today鈥檚 society.

Diana Juanita Mora, an undergraduate research assistant from 丁香园AV, helped research and co-author this piece.

, Research Assistant, Aging in the Right Place (AIRP), ; , Associate professor, Gerontology Department, , and , Assistant Researcher, Aging in the Right Place (AIRP),

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