Digital Technology for Health Service Management and Well-Being in Later Life in Canada: A Critical Analysis Using an Anti-Oppressive Lens.
TL;DR
This paper critically analyzes the current landscape of digital health for later life in Canada and the initiatives promoting it, and identifies four domains: access and utilization, structural barriers, digital ageism, and policy responses.
Abstract
Healthy aging plays a crucial role in a country's economic growth. However, older adults face health challenges, resulting in financial pressure on a country's healthcare systems, a situation worsened during the pandemic. Amidst these challenges, digital health, such as telehealth, mHealth, and eHealth, emerged to address limited healthcare resources during and following COVID-19. This paper critically analyzes the current landscape of digital health for later life in Canada and the initiatives promoting it. A critical narrative review of 38 sources, including peer-reviewed studies, policy documents, and grey literature, was conducted. Thematic analysis identified four domains: access and utilization, structural barriers, digital ageism, and policy responses. Digital health expanded access and continuity of care, but significant inequities persist, including limited digital literacy, affordability constraints, and uneven infrastructure. Digital ageism operates across individual, institutional, and technological levels. Addressing these challenges requires equity-centred policies, inclusive design, and system-level interventions to support healthy aging.