Developing a framework for digital activities of daily living.

The emergence of digital technologies has shown a promising potential to enhance access to goods, services, and resources. Digital technologies and interfaces differ from mechanical and analogue electronic technologies as they often require internet access and are dependent on a set of activities or actions for the user to successfully implement them in their day-to-day life. We describe this set of activities as digital activities of daily living (DADLs). Much like activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), and enhanced activities living (EADLs), DADLs are critical to supporting well-being and healthy aging. For example, the digitalization of tasks such as health insurance (e.g., creating a Medicare account) or banking (e.g., making a utility payment via a web portal) are all DADLs. With a growing dependence on digital technologies to participate in day-to-day life, disparities in individuals' ability to competently complete DADLs present major concerns for independence, quality of life, safety, and wellbeing. We developed a framework to understanding DADLs and their implication for daily life. Furthermore, we provide a guide for the development of interventions and outline implications for research, practice, and policy.

© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.