Presentation Transcript
Privacy, Ethics and Caregiving Technology for Older Adults: Privacy, Ethics and Caregiving Technology for Older Adults Michael Cantor, MD, JD
VA New England Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC)
Technology and Ethics: Technology and Ethics What kinds of technology?
What ethical issues are raised?
Focus on Privacy
What are threats to privacy?
Does it matter that older adults are using technology?
Ethical Issues: Ethical Issues Informed Consent
Information provided: risks, benefits, alternatives
Understanding of information
Capacity to choose
Voluntariness
Justice in access/distribution of technology
Digital Divide
Gaps in insurance coverage and financing
Slide4: Early Ericsson Phone
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Slide10: Nursebot CMU/Pitt
Slide11: Federal Trade Commission: National and State Trends in Fraudandamp; Identity Theft January - December 2004. (2005). http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/pdf/clearinghouse_2004.pdf
Slide12: Federal Trade Commission: National and State Trends in Fraudandamp; Identity Theft January - December 2004. (2005). http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/pdf/clearinghouse_2004.pdf
Slide13: ISAC Vanderbilt
Slide14: VeriChip Implantable RFID Tag
Slide15: VeriChip Information Process
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Needs of Older Adults: Needs of Older Adults Monitoring offers benefits
Management of chronic disease
Reassurance to caregivers
Alarm systems
Cognitively impaired older adults can perhaps benefit most from monitoring
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Home Monitoring: Home Monitoring Many technologies to support aging involve monitoring
Who has access to this information?
Who decides who gets access to this information?
Privacy: Privacy Definition (difficult): the ability of an individual to control (limit) access to personal information and protect own space
Right to be left alone
Right to decide how private information is used
Definition/practice of 'privacy' is fluid
Slide22: Osama Bin Laden
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Privacy and Caregiving: Privacy and Caregiving Privacy is about deciding who gets access to private information
Older adults do not lose right to decide
Older adults who are not capable of deciding should be assisted by surrogates
Older adults may be more concerned about privacy and risks from technology
Attitudes About Privacy: Attitudes About Privacy Privacy fundamentalists – 25%
Privacy unconcerned – 12%
Privacy pragmatists – 63%
- Numbers from Lester The Reinvention of Privacy, Atlantic Monthly, 3/01
Older adults???
Privacy Protections: Privacy Protections Informed Consent to any sharing of data before data gathering occurs
Assurance that surrogate makes decisions if older adult can’t
Balancing of needs and rights of older adults and caregivers
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Unresolved Questions: Unresolved Questions How to build privacy protections into new technologies?
What are implications of privacy protection laws/rules for assistive technology (E.g. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA))
How will evolving concept of privacy in the networked information age shape the acceptability of technology?