Bringing Digital Health Literacy to Older Adults
You may be hearing a lot about “Advancing Health Equity”, one of the key goals of CMS’ strategic plan. The Pandemic has brought to light even more that health equity now MUST include access to technology and digital health literacy.
In fact, the American Medical Association has codified digital access as its own social determinant of health, “a basic need like food, housing, and transportation necessary to build a strong foundation for physical and mental wellness.” according to STAT NEWS.
In December 2022, CMS released policy and technical changes through a proposed rule for Contract Year 2024. The full proposed rule is here and a summary is here.
One of the key proposed changes, in accordance with their strategic plan, is “Advancing Health Equity”. Of note, the proposed rule points out:
“Studies demonstrate that low digital health literacy, especially among populations experiencing health disparities, continues to impede telehealth access and worsen care gaps particularly among older adults. CMS proposes requiring MA organizations to develop and maintain procedures to offer digital health education to enrollees to improve access to medically necessary covered telehealth benefits.”
We were pleased to see that CMS recognizes the importance of providing digital health education and support, especially to older adults. In our work with thousands of older adults across the country, we have seen the positive impact of providing digital training and support to give older adults the confidence to use their technology to improve their lives, including better access to medical care and more opportunities to stay connected and engaged to family, friends and community.
In a recent Impact Survey of older adults who received Candoo Tech services, 94% agreed that technology is useful in their daily lives, almost 70% felt more confident in their ability to use technology after a Candoo Tech session and 60% have accessed telemedicine or researched medical information after using Candoo.
The topics that older adults received the most assistance with were:
Using Zoom
Staying safe online
Listening to music
Interacting with a health care provider
Using social media
Candoo Tech’s support is making an impact on the lives of older adults:
53% learned to communicate by email or text message.
51% learned a new skill or hobby.
49% participated in an online program or event
28% were helped to identify a scam
28% got help connecting with family and friends.
26% got assistance connecting with healthcare professionals
Results confirm that it’s never too late to learn how to use technology. Over 28% of respondents were over 80 and 49% were 70-80 years old. Many were not experienced with technology and, with a little education and support, were able to significantly increase their confidence level and use of technology.
About Candoo Tech
Candoo Tech is one of the leading providers of tech support and training specifically designed for older adults to help them stay safe, independent and connected. Candoo’s services include 1:1 remote training and support, group lessons and a library of on-demand content. Sessions are provided remotely, nationwide by U.S. based Tech Concierges who are specially trained to work with older adults. The company was founded by entrepreneur Liz Hamburg in 2019 and has been working with older adults and their families directly as well as with health plans, hospitals, senior living communities, senior centers and social service agencies. Candoo has seen that with the proper training and support, older adults realize that they ‘candoo it’. For more information go to www.candootech.com.