The Impact of COVID-19 on California's Plans for Caring for its Aging Population: Technology Adoption and Employment

Abstract

Older adults have traditionally been the age cohort most resistant to the adoption of technology, making aging in place difficult and frequently expensive. But recent advances in technology - and those just on the horizon - have the potential to transform the ability to age in place by making senior healthcare both safer and more connected. Such technology can enable healthcare professionals to monitor their charges in real time, respond quickly to healthcare emergencies, make healthcare consultations safer and less onerous for both patients and healthcare workers, assist elders with physical therapy, connect older adults to family and friends, and provide entertainment and learning opportunities for seniors. It is now even possible for older adults in rural areas to receive remote surgery from world class surgeons. The arrival of COVID-19 forced older adults into isolation, severely limiting contact with healthcare providers, family and friends. But COVID-19 also accelerated the adoption of many of the trends already extant, incentivizing older adults and healthcare providers to adopt new technologies much more rapidly than ever before. The WelbeHealth Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in California’s Central Valley, may provide a model of flexible, responsive and adaptive care.