Digital Transformation and Sustainability in Aged Care

This chapter explores the role of digital technologies in reshaping elder care systems in the context of broader sustainability and social justice concerns. Grounded in a social constructionist perspective, the study examines how aging, care, and technology intersect, including their position within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Technologies such as smart home technologies, artificial intelligence-driven care algorithms, wearable health monitors, and socially assistive robots imply a caring lifeworld to maintain quality of life and promote autonomy for older adults. However, realizing this potential requires more than technological adaptation; it necessitates multilevel strategic interventions, individual, institutional, and policy-driven, that are ethically informed and socially inclusive. The chapter argues that digital aging is a technical adjustment and a sociopolitical reconfiguration of care norms, power relations, and rights-based paradigms. By addressing structural inequalities, promoting digital literacy, and fostering participatory design approaches, progressive digital elder care can play a role in creating an equitable and dignified aging experience.