Senior with tech

It’s not just senior living operators who are spending more on tech these days. Turns out many of your current and future residents also are in a buying mood.

In fact, almost 132 million Americans aged 50 or more years will spend upwards of $84 billion a year on technology products by 2030, according to a new AARP survey.

Much of the new spending is likely to address privacy and security issues. AARP finds that fewer than 1 in 4 trust online retailers, the federal government or telecom service providers, among other sources.

A related survey finding, meanwhile, highlights an opportunity to provide more education to older adults specifically on safe tech practices: Almost 1 in 5 survey respondents indicated that they have low confidence in their online safety.

The popularity of personal assistants, such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa, is growing. The survey finds almost 1 in 7 Americans over age 50 own such a device.

The survey also found that 23% of older adults are embracing technology-enabled lifelong learning. They are doing this by taking online classes for certificates or degrees, in addition to how-to tutorials.

About 13% of adults aged more than 50 years say they use virtual reality technology; although that number remains low, it represents a 4% increase from the previous year.

More than 1,500 people aged 50 or more participated in the annual survey.