The Digital Divide: Ageism and Inequity in Healthcare Access

Faye Gilbert 

John Horgan

HST 401

February 11, 2026

I pledge my honor that I have abided by the Stevens Honor System.                                    

 

My grandma has always been a woman of routine. She’d wake up around four or six most mornings entirely on her own accord. She’d get dressed, make a cup of tea, and open her phonebook to dial a neighbor on the rotary. She’s stuck to this ritual for decades on end. However, in her older age, it falters at times. She’s started to forget some small steps, whether it be to turn off the bathroom faucet, or the kettle, or to pair some breakfast with her tea. She is not without help, though. On the increasingly often occasion time feels hazy to her and she stays in bed a little too long, she is provided a gentle nudge from the songbirds that inhabit her backyard. She believes it to be their way of returning the favor, she’s told me, for the feeder she keeps on her tree— she says her and the birds look out for each other. 

It’s a good thing they do, since she would have little hope of setting an alarm on her own. Apart from her rotary phone, and notably the iPad we bought her a few years back that has since been collecting dust in the corner, the only other piece of technology in her house is a little light pink radio (the real, old-fashioned kind with an antenna). She did try an alarm clock at one point, purely for my mother’s peace of mind, but it didn’t end up working out. It had a mind of its own, you see. It was finnicky. It didn’t listen when she told it to stop. 

 She has an iPhone, too, with alarm setting capabilities, but that attempt would be too great an endeavor for my mom’s undertaking. A better place to start would be getting my grandma to pick up a call from it. However, my mom is too focused on online-scheduling my grandma’s doctor and physical therapy appointments. She is logging into patient portals, sifting through online medical records, and navigating the prerecorded voice behind the keypad. My grandma is in her eighties and in need of consistent healthcare. While the technology in her home hasn’t changed in a few decades, it did outside of it. Someone has to manage what she cannot. 

This lack of digital literacy, and its implications on healthcare, is a widespread issue for the elderly. In the modern world, it’s become incredibly difficult to access healthcare without using technology, which is more difficult for older generations. 

This can sometimes be attributed purely to issues in understanding, like in my grandma’s case. Digital literacy is a skill that younger generations have had the privilege of growing up with, and without this privilege, it is difficult to learn, let alone keep up with its constant advancement. Tech developers are aware of this, and often ignore the needs of older generations, as they are not the target consumers. 

However, just as often as this is an issue of understanding is it an issue of access. Although my grandma does not use it often— or well— she does have access to most modern technology. She is fortunate enough to be able to afford it, to live in a socioeconomic area where it is accessible, and to have technologically aware and literate family who look out for her. This is not the case for everyone her age. Research conducted by a social change organization, Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), shows that almost 22 million American seniors are without the high-speed internet that is needed for proper utilization of health and information services. Whether this is due to lack of awareness or financial reasons, it is a massive issue. Those in the age bracket that is in greatest demand of healthcare have the most difficult time accessing it. 

As a trend, access seems to decline with need in this area. The same OATS report shows that older adults who reported being in poor or declining health were far more likely to be offline, as well as older adults who are single. 

While digitalization of healthcare processes has been beneficial in many ways, it has led to divide in healthcare access and unfair generational and socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage. It has also created a dependency issue that worsens the U.S.’s tendency to disregard and incapacitate the elderly. It makes it incredibly difficult for them to take care of themselves, and often creates a dynamic where healthcare becomes a family burden, when it could be an accessible public service if approached correctly. Technology in healthcare was meant to provide ease and advantage, however it has isolated some of the people who rely on it the most.

 

Works Cited

Behr, Caroline L., and Michael L. Barnett. “Association of Internet Access and Inability to Access Health Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic 2020–2021.” Healthcare, Aug. 2022, p. 100655, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2022.100655.

“Inside the Big Variations in Telehealth Use among Physicians.” American Medical Association, 11 July 2022, www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital-health/inside-big-variations-telehealth-use-among-physicians.

“New Data Details How Telehealth Use Varies by Physician Specialty.” American Medical Association, 8 Dec. 2025, www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital-health/new-data-details-how-telehealth-use-varies-physician-specialty.

Google.com, 2026, www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.trendtracker.ai/blog-posts/why-tech-companies-shouldnt-ignore-older-people&ved=2ahUKEwjoqdufp9OSAxWsF1kFHWvID-IQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw00VeXQylg3NuGmg-VIyKL7. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.