Aging 4.0? Rethinking the ethical framing of technology-assisted eldercare

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Bioethics
• Technology Ethics

Background:

• Assistive technologies are increasingly proposed for eldercare, impacting daily living and healthcare.
• Their development and implementation introduce complex ethical, legal, and social questions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Critically re-examine the principlist ethical framework (autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice) in the context of eldercare technologies.
• Outline necessary extensions or reconsiderations of existing ethical frameworks for technological advancements in eldercare.

Main Methods:

• Overview of assistive technologies in eldercare by function and purpose.
• Critical analysis of the principlist framework using existing criticisms.
• Discussion of how new eldercare technologies necessitate framework revision.

Main Results:

• Existing ethical frameworks, particularly principlism, are insufficient to fully address the ethical issues of eldercare technologies.
• Technological advancements in eldercare demand a re-interpretation and revision of current ethical principles.

Conclusions:

• Ethical frameworks for eldercare technologies must be expanded to include perspectives from engineering and computer science.
• Socio-political dimensions and fundamental anthropological/praxeological questions require deeper consideration in ethical analyses of eldercare technologies.