{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T15:14:59Z","timestamp":1788362099940,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Med Internet Res"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Assistive technologies can support independent living among older adults, helping manage health and maintain independence, but uptake is often constrained by attitudes, confidence, and socioeconomic factors. The COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated technology use across all age groups, offering a natural experiment to examine changes in adoption.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to examine changing patterns of technology use in older adults, to provide insight as to how service providers can support the use of technology to enhance resident independence and well-being.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in United Kingdom retirement villages operated by a single housing provider, one immediately before the pandemic (2020, n=1707 across 19 sites) and one after lockdowns were lifted (2023, n=45 at one site), assessing technology confidence, device ownership, internet use, and learning pathways. Semistructured interviews with 8 participants in a technology trial scheme provided qualitative depth. Integration followed a connecting approach, with quantitative findings identifying patterns and qualitative data contextualizing them.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Technology adoption increased significantly between 2020 and 2023, with older adults reporting greater confidence (\n M<\/jats:italic>\n =2.29 to\n M<\/jats:italic>\n =3.36;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.001), higher device ownership, and increased internet use across all activities. Self-education and informal support from family or friends were the most common pathways to adoption, with 69% (31\/45) of 2023 participants reporting learning from friends or family compared with 20% (44\/216)\u201028% (416\/1491) in 2020. Age-related differences in confidence observed in 2020 were no longer apparent in 2023, although gender disparities persisted across all surveys, with men reporting significantly higher confidence (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n =.007,\n r<\/jats:italic>\n =0.42 in 2023). No significant differences were found based on socioeconomic indicators. Qualitative findings revealed that positive technology experiences were predominantly social in nature, while health-related features such as medication reminders went largely unused. Integration of the 2 strands showed that the qualitative data expanded, confirmed, or explained the survey findings, while the gender gap remained unresolved by the qualitative strand due to the self-selected nature of the interview sample.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Findings demonstrate that the pandemic accelerated lasting increases in technology adoption among older adults, though these changes also reflect broader societal, technological, and community-level factors. The persistent gender gap in confidence likely reflects cumulative life-course disadvantages in workplace technology exposure. Technology provision for older adults appears most effective when embedded within the social fabric of a community. These results provide evidence for housing providers and policymakers to formalize peer support pathways, introduce health-related technology through trusted social relationships, and design support that aligns with how residents are actually learning.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/92816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T17:30:07Z","timestamp":1782408607000},"page":"e92816-e92816","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Changing Technology Use, Confidence, and Support Needs Among Older Adults in United Kingdom Retirement Villages: Mixed Methods Study"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"28","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1855-6122","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angela","family":"Higgins","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8041-2520","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steve","family":"Benford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2231-1507","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michelle","family":"Hall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3080-2306","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Holly","family":"Blake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-4523-7546","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kevan","family":"Murray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8821-0464","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Praminda","family":"Caleb-Solly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"issue":"7","key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1499","DOI":"10.1017\/S0144686X16000477","article-title":"Transition from community dwelling to retirement village in older adults: cognitive functioning and psychological health outcomes","volume":"37","author":"Holland","journal-title":"Ageing Soc"},{"key":"R2","unstructured":"Bowles L Wellman P Donahue C . Spotlight: UK senior living \u2014 the inflection point. Savills; 2022. URL: https:\/\/pdf.euro.savills.co.uk\/uk\/spotlight-on\/uk-senior-living---the-inflection-point.pdf [Accessed 28-05-2026]"},{"key":"R3","unstructured":"UK seniors housing market update. Knight Frank. Aug 20, 2025. URL: https:\/\/www.knightfrank.co.uk\/research\/sectors\/senior-living [Accessed 23-01-2026]"},{"key":"R4","unstructured":"Heron L . Smart homes offer solutions for seniors ageing in place. The Institution of Engineering and Technology. Mar 14, 2023. URL: https:\/\/eandt.theiet.org\/2023\/03\/14\/smart-homes-offer-solutions-seniors-ageing-place [Accessed 20-01-2026]"},{"issue":"2","key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15761\/MHAR.1000136","article-title":"Older adults and mobile technology: factors that enhance and inhibit utilization in the context of behavioral health","volume":"2","author":"Kuerbis","journal-title":"Ment Health Addict Res"},{"issue":"4","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijmedinf.2014.01.004","article-title":"Factors influencing acceptance of technology for aging in place: a systematic review","volume":"83","author":"Peek","journal-title":"Int J Med Inform"},{"issue":"6","key":"R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1710","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2010.06.020","article-title":"Older adults talk technology: technology usage and attitudes","volume":"26","author":"Mitzner","journal-title":"Comput Human Behav"},{"key":"R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2017.01687","article-title":"Older adults perceptions of technology and barriers to interacting with tablet computers: a focus group study","volume":"8","author":"Vaportzis","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"issue":"1","key":"R9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-18036-5","article-title":"Barriers and facilitators to health technology adoption by older adults with chronic diseases: an integrative systematic review","volume":"24","author":"Bertolazzi","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"11","key":"R10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1049","DOI":"10.1080\/10447318.2020.1865005","article-title":"Insights into older adults\u2019 technology acceptance through meta-analysis","volume":"37","author":"Ma","journal-title":"Int J Hum Comput Interact"},{"issue":"2","key":"R11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"226","DOI":"10.1159\/000430949","article-title":"Older adults\u2019 reasons for using technology while aging in place","volume":"62","author":"Peek","journal-title":"Gerontology"},{"issue":"4","key":"R12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1715","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2013.02.006","article-title":"Learning to use new technologies by older adults: perceived difficulties, experimentation behaviour and usability","volume":"29","author":"Barnard","journal-title":"Comput Human Behav"},{"issue":"1","key":"R13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gny113","article-title":"Technology adoption by older adults: findings from the PRISM trial","volume":"59","author":"Mitzner","journal-title":"Gerontologist"},{"issue":"5","key":"R14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1969","DOI":"10.1007\/s11135-016-0390-6","article-title":"Elderly and technology tools: a fuzzyset qualitative comparative analysis","volume":"51","author":"Mostaghel","journal-title":"Qual Quant"},{"key":"R15","unstructured":"Prescott C . Internet users, UK: 2019. Office of National Statistics. 2019. URL: https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/businessindustryandtrade\/itandinternetindustry\/bulletins\/internetusers\/2019 [Accessed 26-01-2026]"},{"issue":"1","key":"R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gny138","article-title":"The digital divide in health-related technology use: the significance of race\/ethnicity","volume":"59","author":"Mitchell","journal-title":"Gerontologist"},{"issue":"2","key":"R17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/30598","article-title":"The Impact of COVID-19 confinement on cognition and mental health and technology use among socially vulnerable older people: retrospective cohort study","volume":"24","author":"Dura-Perez","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"issue":"16","key":"R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph191610459","article-title":"Technology and quality of life of older people in times of COVID: a qualitative study on their changed digital profile","volume":"19","author":"Murciano-Hueso","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"R19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/28010","article-title":"Older adults\u2019 experiences with using technology for socialization during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional survey study","volume":"4","author":"Haase","journal-title":"JMIR Aging"},{"issue":"1-2","key":"R20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1177\/02704676221094731","article-title":"Older people\u2019s use of digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"42","author":"Sixsmith","journal-title":"Bull Sci Technol Soc"},{"key":"R21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alharbi RA Altayyari FT Alamri FS Alharthi SA . Pandemic-driven technology during COVID-19: experiences of older adults. Presented at: CSCW \u201921 Companion: Companion Publication of the 2021 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing; Oct 23-27, 2021:5-9; Oct 23, 2021.[doi: 10.1145\/3462204.3481769]","DOI":"10.1145\/3462204.3481769"},{"key":"R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.techsoc.2022.102080","article-title":"Technology use characteristics among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-cultural survey","volume":"71","author":"Elimelech","journal-title":"Technol Soc"},{"issue":"7","key":"R23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1188","DOI":"10.1093\/geront\/gnac144","article-title":"Ageism in the discourse and practice of designing digital technology for older persons: a scoping review","volume":"63","author":"Mannheim","journal-title":"Gerontologist"},{"key":"R24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Booth A A Hannes K Harden A Noyes J Harris J Tong A . COREQ (consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies). In: Moher D Altman DG Schulz KF Simera I Wager E , editors. Guidelines for Reporting Health Research: A User\u2019s Manual. John Wiley & Sons; 2014:214-226. [doi: 10.1002\/9781118715598]","DOI":"10.1002\/9781118715598.ch21"},{"issue":"2","key":"R25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"92","DOI":"10.1258\/jhsrp.2007.007074","article-title":"The quality of mixed methods studies in health services research","volume":"13","author":"O\u2019Cathain","journal-title":"J Health Serv Res Policy"},{"key":"R26","unstructured":"Storey A . Profile of the older population living in england and wales in 2021 and changes since 2011. Office for National Statistics; 2023. URL: https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/birthsdeathsandmarriages\/ageing\/articles\/profileoftheolderpopulationlivinginenglandandwalesin2021andchangessince2011\/2023-04-03 [Accessed 26-01-2026]"},{"key":"R27","unstructured":"Turn curiosity into clarity. Survey Monkey. URL: https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/ [Accessed 26-01-2026]"},{"issue":"3","key":"R28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"261","DOI":"10.1038\/s41592-019-0686-2","article-title":"SciPy 1.0: fundamental algorithms for scientific computing in Python","volume":"17","author":"Virtanen","journal-title":"Nat Methods"},{"key":"R29","unstructured":"Income deprivation affecting older people index (IDAOPI). Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Sep 26, 2019. URL: https:\/\/lginform.local.gov.uk\/reports\/lgastandard?mod-metric=4564&mod-area=E06000031&mod-group=AllSingleTierAndCountyLaInCountry_England&mod-type=namedComparisonGroup [Accessed 10-03-2025]"},{"key":"R30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Braun V Clarke V . Thematic analysis. In: APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol 2: Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and Biological. Vol 2012. American Psychological Association; :57-71. [doi: 10.1037\/13620-004]","DOI":"10.1037\/13620-004"},{"issue":"6","key":"R31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"554","DOI":"10.1370\/afm.1865","article-title":"Integrating quantitative and qualitative results in health science mixed methods research through joint displays","volume":"13","author":"Guetterman","journal-title":"Ann Fam Med"},{"key":"R32","unstructured":"Faverio M . Share of those 65 and older who are tech users has grown in the past decade. Vol 13. Pew Research Center; 2022. URL: https:\/\/pameladwilson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tusers-65-and-older_-Pew-Research-Center.pdf [Accessed 02-02-2026]"},{"issue":"3","key":"R33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"600","DOI":"10.1177\/07334648211047347","article-title":"Telehealth use among older adults during COVID-19: associations with sociodemographic and health characteristics, technology device ownership, and technology learning","volume":"41","author":"Choi","journal-title":"J Appl Gerontol"},{"key":"R34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcomp.2022.835927","article-title":"Older adults and smart technology: facilitators and barriers to use","volume":"4","author":"Harris","journal-title":"Front Comput Sci"},{"key":"R35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/65541","article-title":"The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on age-based disparities in digital health technology use: secondary analysis of the 2017-2022 Health Information National Trends Survey","volume":"26","author":"Qiu","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"issue":"2","key":"R36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"375","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1744-6570.2000.tb00206.x","article-title":"Age differences in technology adoption decisions: implications for a changing work force","volume":"53","author":"Morris","journal-title":"Pers Psychol"},{"issue":"2","key":"R37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1177\/09637214211068144","article-title":"A grand challenge for psychology: reducing the age-related digital divide","volume":"31","author":"Charness","journal-title":"Curr Dir Psychol Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"R38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"553","DOI":"10.1007\/s11150-021-09573-8","article-title":"Does retirement reduce familiarity with Iinformation and communication technology?","volume":"20","author":"Cavapozzi","journal-title":"Rev Econ Household"},{"issue":"1","key":"R39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1093\/workar\/waac025","article-title":"Differences between employed and retired older adults in information and communication technology use and attitudes","volume":"10","author":"Schuster","journal-title":"Work Aging Retire"},{"issue":"3","key":"R40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1007\/s10433-020-00552-z","article-title":"Towards bridging the grey digital divide: changes in internet access and its predictors from 2002 to 2014 in Germany","volume":"17","author":"Huxhold","journal-title":"Eur J Ageing"},{"issue":"8","key":"R41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1386","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gbad079","article-title":"Digital gender gap in the second half of life is declining: changes in gendered internet use between 2014 and 2021 in Germany","volume":"78","author":"B\u00fcnning","journal-title":"J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci"},{"issue":"3","key":"R42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1108\/GKMC-09-2021-0147","article-title":"Towards understanding the gender digital divide: a systematic literature review","volume":"72","author":"Acilar","journal-title":"Glob Knowl Mem Commun"},{"key":"R43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.alcr.2015.06.002","article-title":"De-standardization and gender convergence in work\u2013family life courses in Great Britain: a multi-channel sequence analysis","volume":"26","author":"McMunn","journal-title":"Adv Life Course Res"},{"key":"R44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pang C Collin Wang Z McGrenere J Leung R Dai J Moffatt K . Technology adoption and learning preferences for older adults: evolving perceptions, ongoing challenges, and emerging design opportunities. Presented at: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; May 8-13, 2021:1-13; 2021.[doi: 10.1145\/3411764.3445702]","DOI":"10.1145\/3411764.3445702"},{"issue":"7","key":"R45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20075404","article-title":"Consumer fraud against older adults in digital society: examining victimization and Its impact","volume":"20","author":"Kemp","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"6","key":"R46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/23832","article-title":"Older adults\u2019 experiences with using wearable devices: qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis","volume":"9","author":"Moore","journal-title":"JMIR Mhealth Uhealth"},{"issue":"1","key":"R47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/opn.12490","article-title":"Community-dwelling older adults\u2019 acceptance of smartwatches for health and location tracking","volume":"18","author":"Chung","journal-title":"Int J Older People Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"R48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18994","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-70073-7","article-title":"Innovation and challenges of artificial intelligence technology in personalized healthcare","volume":"14","author":"Li","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"issue":"7","key":"R49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1560","DOI":"10.1017\/S0144686X20001610","article-title":"Social capital in retirement villages: a literature review","volume":"42","author":"Schwitter","journal-title":"Ageing Soc"},{"key":"R50","unstructured":"Online nation \u2013 2020 report. Ofcom; 2020. URL: https:\/\/www.ofcom.org.uk\/research-and-data\/online-research\/online-nation [Accessed 03-04-2024]"},{"issue":"1","key":"R51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1080\/14445921.2017.1298949","article-title":"Retirement villages in Australia: a literature review","volume":"23","author":"Hu","journal-title":"Pac Rim Prop Res J"},{"issue":"4","key":"R52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.3390\/joitmc7040207","article-title":"Elderly customers\u2019 open innovation on smart retirement village: what they want and what drive their intention to relocate?","volume":"7","author":"Tan","journal-title":"J Open Innov: Technol Mark Complex"},{"issue":"13","key":"R53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3288","DOI":"10.1080\/0144929X.2023.2276802","article-title":"Investigating healthcare workers\u2019 technostress when welfare technology is introduced in long-term care facilities","volume":"43","author":"Thunberg","journal-title":"Behav Inf Technol"}],"container-title":["Journal of Medical Internet Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T14:36:42Z","timestamp":1788359802000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.jmir.org\/2026\/1\/e92816"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"references-count":53,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196\/92816","relation":{},"ISSN":["1438-8871"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1438-8871","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"article-number":"v28i7e92816"}}