Rising ageing population: a preliminary study of Malaysian older people expectations in Information and Communication Technology

The older people population in the world is showing a steady increase and Malaysia is projected to having an ageing population in 2025 as the percentage will reach over 7.1% (an indicator of an ageing population) of the total population. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers opportunities to create conducive environment for older people, but there may be a significant number of older people particularly in Malaysia who are not informed, astute, and learned consumers with respect to ICT and so could be denied many of the technology potential benefits. Drawing upon data from group sessions held with 51 participants of various age groups, this paper reports on a preliminary study to explore the current state of Malaysian older people interaction with and expectations in ICT including mobile communications in aspects of their everyday life. Comparison in terms of mobile device usage among participants was also presented. The study has highlighted (1) ways in which ICT has supported and can support older people and (2) mobile usage patterns of younger and older users