The use of digital technologies for health care by the elderly: a sociological study in Ho Chi Minh city

Health is a basic value, that is especially important in old age. The ageing of the population, spanning many countries around the world, poses new risks in the conditions of digitalization. A study of the foreign experience of adapting the elderly to the digitalizing social life is of interest for Russian society. Based on the results of a survey of 128 elderly residents of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, an analysis of their social adaptations to digital transformation and the use of digital technologies in the field of health care is proposed. The study revealed that the elderly has limited access to digital technologies to ensure physical health, except for special applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. It encouraged the elderly residents of this metropolis to use digital forms of interaction to access information and support health. Elderly Vietnamese are gradually expanding their opportunities for digital inclusion. A positive attitude towards digitalization dominates in the conditions of coronavirus infection. Almost two-thirds of elderly respondents use the Internet and about half use social networks to overcome negative experiences associated with the disease. Most support the continued use of digital technologies to improve health of the older generation after the pandemic is over.