Artificial Intelligence in Older Adults’ Healthcare: Applications and Ethical Considerations

Abstract

With the global and national rise in the population of older adults, there has been a concurrent increase in chronic diseases, disease-related complications, care requirements, and the need for social support. The use of technology-assisted applications in the diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and self-management processes of chronic diseases is becoming increasingly widespread. In older adults, artificial intelligence-based applications play a pivotal role across healthcare processes—spanning diagnosis, follow-up, treatment, adaptation, and rehabilitation—by addressing the physical and psychosocial changes associated with aging and chronic illness. These applications increase patient activity in self-management processes with many positive effects such as providing individualised care, detecting current and possible risks, facilitating the diagnosis process of diseases, supporting the process of treatment compliance, providing psychosocial support, strengthening the rehabilitation process. However, despite these benefits, the integration of artificial intelligence-based applications into older adults’ healthcare and their adaptation to these systems come with certain challenges and ethical concerns. Issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, digital literacy, and accessibility must be carefully considered to ensure the effective and equitable use of these technologies in the care of older adults. This review aims to comprehensively examine the role, efficacy, and potential of AI-driven applications in the management of chronic diseases among older adults, while also exploring the ethical and practical challenges that may arise. It is intended to guide healthcare professionals and researchers in developing ethically sensitive, person-centered, and accessible artificial intelligence-based strategies for optimizing the health and well-being of older adults.

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