A Roadmap for Research: The International Summit on Innovation and Technology in Care of Older People (IS-ITCOP)

By 2050, the global population over 60 will nearly double to 22 percent or almost 2 billion people. In response, the United Nations has declared 2021-2030 the Decade of Healthy Aging to improve the lives of older adults. Thus, a significant area of global interest is Long-Term Post-Acute Care (LTPAC) systems that provide integrated, appropriate, affordable, and accessible care for older adults. These systems, including home care, hospice, assisted living, and nursing homes, are crucial as 70 percent of older adults will need long-term care services such as assistance with mobility, bathing, and feeding over the course of their long lives. Within LTPAC communities, older adults' activities are supported by informal caregivers and healthcare professionals to ensure quality of life, independence, and dignity. However, as the global population ages, providing safe, high-quality care faces numerous challenges at individual, institutional, and community levels. In recent years, there have been federal, state, and professional initiatives to investigate global efforts in using technology within LTPAC settings. Despite these efforts, persistent barriers remain in adopting, scaling, and spreading technology, and poor quality of care continues to plague millions of older adults who reside in these settings. One key global approach to enhancing care quality in LTPAC systems involves effectively using health information technology. Significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the optimal use of technology to support the care of older adults in LTPAC. To stimulate research and address these gaps, researchers will host the International Summit on Innovation and Technology in Care of Older People (IS-ITCOP).

The specific aims of the conference are as follows:

• Identify emerging and established technology used in LTPAC.
• Describe the barriers and facilitators affecting technology adoption in LTPAC.
• Examine how barriers in technology adoption can influence disparities among LTPAC patients.
• Create a research agenda to identify ways that governments, professional organizations, and other related groups can remove barriers and promote facilitators for technology adoption, and thus lessen disparities in LTPAC.

The aims will be achieved through a two-day conference that brings together national and international LTPAC experts including policymakers, administrators, clinicians, researchers, and leaders to guide research development, co-design strategies, and create methods for evaluating technology in LTPAC. An interdisciplinary committee will organize keynote speakers and lead discussions on four critical areas of technology use in LTPAC: Emerging Models of Care, Workforce of the Future, Transparency and Accountability in Quality, and Security and Privacy. The conference will produce a report outlining priorities and goals for technology integration in LTPAC settings —a priority for making evidence-based change. Success will be evaluated through feedback from presenters, sponsors, and attendees. This research development conference will close important gaps to improve care delivery in long-term care systems globally by generating timely evidence crucial for guiding stakeholder decisions and overcoming barriers to optimal technology use in LTPAC settings, through focusing on identifying and addressing barriers at the individual, institutional, and community levels. The conference will also cultivate new collaborations to advance research frameworks that evaluate technology use both domestically and globally.