Empowering Older Adults with Digital Literacy and Healthy Ageing in Community Setting: Examples from Republic of Korea and Malaysia

Myat Yadana Kyaw, Thet Htoo Pan, Yeong-Ran Park, Mohd Rohaizat Hassan,  Myo Nyein Aung and Daniel McFarlane

Report in Japanese  Report in Thai  Report in Spanish 

Digitally Inclusive Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) is a cross-cultural study primarily based on Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand, further expanding to India. Despite 40 years since the internet existence, 2.6 billion people are still offline in 2023, notably older adults in rural areas [1]. The urgency for digital inclusion intensifies, especially in rapidly ageing countries of Asia. Aligned with global agenda, the 25th DIHAC cross-cultural exchange meeting  was held to witness digital inclusion as well as social inclusion journey of older adults in the Republic of Korea and Malaysia.

Dr. Myo Nyein Aung, Principal investigator of DIHAC study and Associate Professor at Department of Global Health Research, Juntendo University started the meeting by socializing and introducing the new faces of the meetings. The meeting was attended by more than 40 participants including researchers in global health and public health, faculties from universities, UN agency (ITU), clinicians, government officials, community stakeholders, and graduate students from Asia, Europe, USA and Africa.

The chairperson of the 25^th DIHAC meeting was Dr. Daniel McFarlane, PhD., a lecturer from Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, the office of Academic Integration for Society, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and also a consultant to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP). In the opening remark, he shared his current research on digital communications based in Bangkok. He also highlighted that digital technology can enrich and disrupt communities. Dr. McFarlane addressed the importance of bridging access gap, utilisation gap and skill gap through digital empowerment for older people. Therefore, DIHAC has been a valuable platform to exchange ideas cross-culturally.

Figure: Chairperson Dr. Daniel McFarlane, speakers, international audience and DIHAC study team at the 25th DIHAC meeting

Digital Literacy and Health of Older People: An Exploratory Analysis of the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP) Data

The first presentation was delivered by Professor Yeong-Ran Park, PhD from the department of Silver Industry, Kangnam University, Republic of Korea. The presentation explored the digital literacy of older Korean  in rural areas and its impact on health outcomes, using data from the 6th wave of Korean Social Life, Health and Aging Project (KSHAP)[2]. With 20% of the population aged 65+, and declining fertility rate, the ROK government has promoted digital technology to overcome challenges brought by population ageing. In addition, disabilities among older people, shorter healthy life expectancies relative to life expectancies, loneliness and poverty further widen the digital gap. Older adults need at least basic digital literacies to participate in daily life. Korean national surveys show more than half of older adults need improvement for digital literacies, especially in rural areas. To fill the research gap, Professor and team included digital literacy questionnaire in the 6^th wave of KSHAP project. With 572 participants included the survey found that 64% of respondents had smartphones and 35% had a personal computer, fewer, 6% had AI speaker and 3% had a smartwatch. 98% of smartphones owners and 49% of PC owners used them for digital activities. Voice calling, text messaging, camera and videos were mostly used for purposes. Further analysis showed that Physical, psychological health and mobility were positively influenced by smartphone usage. KSHAP respondent’s smartphone ownership was lower than national average (64.2% vs 86.8%).

• There are persistent gray digital gaps in accessibility, capacity and use of digital technology among Korean older adults residing in rural areas
• Digital literacy is associated with positive physical, psychological and social outcomes among older adults and is a potential means for healthy ageing
• Digital capacity-building and empowerment mechanisms to enhance accessibility and usability are needed for older adults, especially in rural areas

Opening the floor to questions and insightful discussion, Professor Park addressed the key points raised during the meeting. Professor Malcom Field discussed the health status of older adults in the rural area. He also highlighted the challenges older adults in rural areas face with digitalization, like using QR code menus in restaurants. Professor Park explained that rural areas face more health issues, while older men living alone in South Korean cities are at higher risk of depression and suicide. She emphasized the importance of social networks for the cognitive health of older adults. PhD students from Juntendo University asked about the sustainability of longitudinal studies, and Professor Park explained the importance of teamwork and partnerships. She mentioned that future research will dive into developing tools to measure digital literacy among older adults and expanding studies on social networks and digital health technologies.

Exploring the Potentials for Healthy Ageing Among Older People in Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia

The second presentation was from Professor Mohd Rohaizat Hassan, an epidemiology and public health specialist, from Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The National University of Malaysia. The presentation from Prof Rohaizat brought the audience to a unique district in Perak, Malaysia called Muallim and discovered the potentials for healthy ageing among local older people. Malaysia is ageing, with Perak hosting the largest older adults’ population (9.9%). In addition, Muallim, a mix of agriculture and industrial landscape in Perak districts, has 10.1% older adult population, where aboriginal ethic groups also reside. The district is equipped with one 115-bedded hospital and two health clinics, offering health screening for NCDs, at facilities and in the community. At least 50% of the population are covered by NCDs screening annually. The area provides older person activity centers called PAWE. The centers were provided by the government, Department of Social Welfare. Activities offered by PAWE include physical activities such as exercise, social and cultural activities such as improving social connectivity and cognitive function. He also highlighted the unique religious center in the community, called Pondo, as a spot for socialization, group activities and spiritual well-being. The region also has strong community ties. In terms of long-term care services, there are also care facilities run by private entities and NGOs. Recognizing the unique nature of the Muallim district, Professor Rohaizat and team conducted field visit and preliminary survey to investigate the potential of healthy ageing while improving the digital literacy of local older adults. Through preliminary survey of 131 participants, 95% of older adults owned mobile phones or smartphones. However, digital skills and online safety need improvement. Based on the preliminary findings and observations, Professor Rohaizat commented that community based social innovations for healthy ageing regarding physical, mental, spiritual well-being of the older adults are established in the region. Recommendations included future exploration and intervention in enhancing digital skills support networks for caregivers, improved access to health and long-term care services, and disaster.

• A cultural and economic diversity and an increasing ageing population made Muallim, Perak a good area to study healthy ageing

• Based on local resources and decades of social connectedness, community-based social innovations for healthy ageing programs and digital inclusion programs could be initiated and sustained through collaboration between private and public sectors

The discussion centered on Professor Rohaizat’s presentation about implementing activities for older adults in public and private settings was lively. PI Dr. Myo emphasized the importance of having public Wi-Fi in older people centers and expressed interest in future collaboration with Professor Rohaizat, particularly extending the DIHAC study to Malaysia. JCIE/Japan Program Officer Ms. Momoko Abe highlighted the diverse use of digital devices among older adults, such as personal computers. The speaker recommended the adoption of age-friendly devices for older people. Director General Mr. Hiraiwa Masaru from the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology discussed the variability in services provided by NGOs and private entities. Professor Rohaizat explained that government-operated Older Persons’ Centers follow specific guidelines and modules, while private centers tend to be more advanced, and NGOs and volunteers share mutual resources.

In the conclusion session, the two speakers discussed the advantages as well as disadvantages of digital technology for older adults. Professor Park highlighted how social robots and regular AI phone calls can help older adults in rural areas feel more included and less lonely. Devices like wearables promote healthy ageing but may widen the gray digital gap due to financial and technical challenges in maintaining them after initial projects. Professor Rohaizat discussed additional benefits of digital technology for older adults, emphasizing the need for future evidence-based studies. Dr. Professor Myo noted the challenges in methodology to assess how digital communication interacts with human communication. He also mentioned that digital technology enhances social inclusion, especially in regions where outdoor contact is limited, like snowy areas. The next 26^th DIHAC meeting is planned to be held in December,2024.

References

1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), D.C., Global offline population steadily declines to 2.6 billion people in 2023. 2023.
2.   Baek, J., et al., A Prospective Sociocentric Study of 2 Entire Traditional Korean Villages: The Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP). American Journal of Epidemiology, 2023. 193(2): p. 241-255.

Authors

Myat Yanada Kyaw, M.D., is Ph.D. student at the Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan

Thet Htoo Pan, M.D., is Ph.D. student at the Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan

Yeong-Ran Park, Ph.D., is Professor at the Department of Silver Industry, Kangnam University, Republic of Korea

Mohd Rohaizat Hassan, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor at the Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The National University of Malaysia, Malaysia

Myo Nyein Aung, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan

Daniel McFarlane, PhD, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, The Office of Academic Integration for Society, Mahidol University, Thailand