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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs and the Adoption of Health-Related Technologies for Older Adults

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Abstract

Technologies are being developed and promoted with the aim of improving the health and quality of life of older adults, but often without analyzing or planning around the human needs of users. Abraham Maslow’s model of the hierarchy of needs proposes that people seek to satisfy progressively higher human needs, starting with physical needs like food and shelter, and advancing through safety and security, belonging and love, esteem, and self-actualization. Each of these levels of need has relevance for aging-related technologies. Lack of attention to user needs may be one factor that explains the limited adoption of many aging-related technologies. It is important to consider the users’ current levels of need, the different needs of patients and caregivers, the degrees of behavioral change expected at different levels of need, and the unintended consequences of technologies. Insights from Maslow’s model can help developers, researchers, providers, and consumers in the process of producing, evaluating, recommending, and purchasing technologies for older adults. One particular challenge is that assistive technologies may undermine esteem needs by limiting independence. Scales to measure levels of need can help characterize which needs are most relevant for different individuals, and can be used to ensure that technologies address users’ needs.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by an American Geriatrics Society / Hartford Foundation Geriatric Health Outcomes Research Award, and by Career Development Award K23 MH093591-01 (NIMH and American Federation for Aging Research).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Seattle VA Medical Center, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Stephen Thielke

  2. Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Mark Harniss & Kurt Johnson

  3. Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Hilaire Thompson & George Demiris

  4. Computer Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Shwetak Patel

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  1. Stephen Thielke
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  2. Mark Harniss
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  6. Kurt Johnson
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Correspondence to Stephen Thielke.

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Thielke, S., Harniss, M., Thompson, H. et al. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs and the Adoption of Health-Related Technologies for Older Adults. Ageing Int 37, 470–488 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-011-9121-4

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