Nearly 30 Percent of Baby Boomers Use Smartphones to Manage, Receive Medical Care: Report

An AARP study contradicted conventional wisdom by finding that Americans 50 and older are adopting consumer technology at rates close to those 18 to 49, reports Becker's Hospital Review . Polls of more than 2,600 Americans 50 and up found older Americans eventually see similar tech adoption rates to those of Generation X, millennials, and Generation Z and report using their devices on a almost-daily basis. Moreover, many 50-and-older Americans are receptive to using technology in healthcare, with 53 percent of respondents saying they would prefer their medical needs managed by a combination of healthcare professionals and technology. In addition, 28 percent of baby boomers reported using their smartphone to manage or receive healthcare in the three months before the survey. Twenty-five percent used their phones to access health and fitness information, and an equal number tracked their health and fitness using apps or websites with their devices. Meanwhile, nearly one-fifth of Americans 50 and older own a health-tracking wearable device — almost as many as Americans 18 to 49 — and even more said they were interested in purchasing more devices to manage their health and fitness. About 40 percent said they are interested in devices that remind users which drugs to take and when to take them and that automatically submit medication adherence reports and vital sign readings to care providers.