In geriatrics we tend to lean towards a philosophy of “less is more.” But is this the approach to adopt when it comes to technology and the health care of older adults?
This is the issue I explore today, via a guest post on Hasting Center’s Over 65 Blog.
If you aren’t familiar with the Over 65 Project, I highly recommend you take a look at their About page. The project is sponsored by the Hastings Center, a non-profit bioethics research institute, and is supported by an impressive list of established academics and other experts in aging, healthcare, ethics, and policy.
The goal of the Over 65 Project is to foster “a rethinking of the progress-driven,
technology-hungry model of medicine that feeds that system and consumes a
large share of resources. That model has put an unbridled pursuit of
cure, not care, in the saddle, a balance that must now shift to a better
balance in the direction of care.”
The Project has articulated the following five key goals:
I myself agree with the Over 65 Project on goals 1, 2, 4, and 5.
My post for them addresses #3. I personally believe the right kind of technology will facilitate better care, and I think technology, properly applied, can help address goals 1, 2, 4, and 5.
The hard part is defining and finding the right technology, and learning to apply it successfully, at scale.
I hope this blog, in collaboration with others such as the Over 65 Blog, can help. Again, this blog’s purpose is: to document the practical problems we face when we try to care for the geriatric population, and to discuss how technology can help or hinder us.
Clinicians, consider guest posting here or on Over 65. To all, comments remain encouraged and appreciated.
