A new study from Australia looked into the views about ageing and older people that underpins the development and implementation of AI in long-term care homes. 

Done by researchers from Monash University, the qualitative study analysed how AI technologies for aged care are imagined, designed, deployed, and resisted. Its findings have been published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

FINDINGS

The study interviewed seven AI developers who had worked on AI technologies for aged care; seven staff from long-term care homes who are interested in AI and/or had prior experience with AI-based care; and four aged care advocates who had been involved in AI systems or promoted assistive technologies.

The interviews revealed that ageism can be generated by design; AI developers – and even aged care staff, assume older people lack interest and the capacity to use technology. The use of AI technology can also "exacerbate" ageism given the way they are used by carers.

However, the study also pointed out that it is not just technology that can perpetuate ageism. More than digital ageism, or age-related biases in technology design and usage, the researchers also encountered what they called "sociotechnical ageism," which is basically the interacting social and technical stereotypes about older people, ageing, care, and approaches to AI. 

"This ageism is not just digital—it rests on a dynamic intersection of social and technical dimensions shaping the views of those who design and inscribe an end-user script into algorithms, and of those who have the power to implement AI through choices, practices, and applications," the authors explained.

WHY IT MATTERS

The study looked into the underresearched intersections of ageism and AI technologies. This topic was explored as the global pandemic has once again highlighted the pervasiveness of ageism in society, including in long-term care homes, and as AI is being widely adopted to assist in relieving pressure in healthcare.

“When implementing AI technologies in aged care, we must consider them as part of a suite of care services and not as isolated solutions," suggested Dr Barbara Neves, the study's lead author.

Given their findings, the authors pointed out the need to change stereotypes about aged care residents and the attitudes of staff to develop technologies that are designed for and inclusive of senior folks. 

"Understanding how this ageism unfolds—from development to implementation—is critical to [enhancing] opportunities for socially just and inclusive AI," they emphasised.

THE LARGER TREND

It is almost a year since Australia's aged care sector started its first phase of digital transformation, supported by a A$17.7 billion (around $12 billion) reform package from the federal government. Findings from the 2021 report by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety gave impetus to this; aged care was found to be "deeply analogue" and "well behind" other sectors in the use of technology. The said report also emphasised maintaining the autonomy and dignity of older people in care.

ON THE RECORD

"The use of AI in aged care must be done with consideration of the potential impact of these technologies on [the] well-being, autonomy, and dignity of older residents," Dr Neves stressed in a press statement.