Personal computers, tablets, and smartphones may support older adults' engagement when people are required to stay home and opportunities to engage in meaningful activities are reduced during the COVID-19 period. This study aims to screen older adults’ technology-use characteristics across social, leisure, and education domains during the COVID-19 pandemic from a crosscultural viewpoint. The sample included 576 participants aged 60 and older from France (n = 62), Spain (n = 110), and Israel (n = 404). Participants completed the technology-use survey, which consists of questions about their facilities, technology usability, need for adaptations to support technology use, and changes in technology use since COVID-19. Significant differences were found between countries in facilities, χ² (2) = 25.16, p < .001, and usability, χ² (2) = 64.14, p < .001, across the three domains. Furthermore, 34% of technological usability was predicted by country and facilities, F (4, 568) = 72.39, p < .001. Participants noted a willingness to use technology if it was adapted for social (61%–73%), leisure (51%–71%), or educational (67%–76%) activities and that they devoted substantially more time to technology across domains (>58%) due to COVID-19. These findings highlight culture and facilities as factors that play an imperative role in supporting and enhancing the usability of technology among older adults.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to people’s day-to-day functioning and emotional and physical health, especially among older adults. Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze gender differences in state anxiety, daily functional self-actualization, and functional cognition as well as the relationships among those factors in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methods: We collected data on the web from a sample of 204 people (102 men and 102 women) aged 60 years and older. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, we used the State-Trait Personality Inventory to assess state anxiety, the Daily Functional Actualization questionnaire to evaluate daily functional self-actualization, and the Daily Living Questionnaire to measure functional cognition. Results: Significant gender differences were found for state anxiety (t202=−2.36, P=.02); daily functional self-actualization (t202=2.15, P=.03); and the functional cognition components: complex tasks (Z=−3.07, P=.002); cognitive symptoms that might be interfering (Z=−2.15, P=.028); executive functions (Z=−2.21, P=.024); and executive function monitoring (Z=−2.21, P=.027). Significant medium correlations were found between both state anxiety level and daily functional self-actualization (r=−0.62, P<.001) and functional cognition (r=0.37-0.40, P<.001). Gender predicted 3% of the variance in state anxiety level, while daily functional self-actualization predicted 41% and complex activities (Daily Living Questionnaire) predicted an additional 3% (F3,200=58.01, P<.001). Conclusions: In older adults, anxiety is associated with cognitive decline, which may harm daily functional abilities and lead to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being. Self-awareness and knowledge of gender differences and relationships between common available resources of daily functional self-actualization and functional cognition with anxiety may be strengthening factors in crisis periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Technology use is increasingly integrated into daily life, including among older adults, whose adoption and engagement with technology warrant closer examination. According to the matching person and technology model, technology adoption is more likely when a person’s preferences and needs align with a device’s functions and features, as well as the environment in which it is used. However, factors such as age-related changes, evolving preferences, and the rapid pace of digital transformation complicate this process. Additionally, older adults often rely on support from family members and health professionals, yet their perspectives remain largely unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to examine the daily technology use of older adults in Israel from a triangle perspective, incorporating the views of older adults, family members, and health professionals. It explored preferred technology-based activities, device features, the shift from in-person to technology-based interactions, and responses to mismatches between preferences, device characteristics, and social support. Methods: Nine web-based focus groups, each with 6 to 7 participants, were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (February 2021 to July 2022). Participants included 20 healthy, independent older adults (10 women, aged 66-80 years), 19 family members (children and grandchildren, aged 21-55 years), and 20 health professionals with at least 5 years of experience working with older adults. Results: Older adults demonstrated diverse preferences for technology use in daily activities, shaped by urgency, significance, and device characteristics. This perspective was reinforced by family members and health professionals, who highlighted the importance of distinguishing between technology types based on their users and features. Additionally, older adults expressed mixed views on shifting from in-person interactions to digital alternatives, while family members and health professionals emphasized the importance of social interaction for well-being. Finally, older adults described significant emotional challenges when navigating technology. Family members and health professionals identified key contributors, including the gap between perceived and actual technological abilities, generational differences in digital exposure, and cognitive demands associated with technology use. Conclusions: This study highlights the significant variability in older adults’ daily activity preferences, which strongly influences their technology use. It suggests shifting the focus from technology to its practical application in meeting individual needs. In this context, it is important to consider the need for social interactions. Addressing social interaction needs and emotional challenges is crucial, as unmet technological needs can lead to frustration and disengagement. These insights can inform strategies to enhance technology use among older adults by aligning technology design and support systems with their preferences and needs.

Background: During COVID-19 lockdowns, older adults’ engagement in daily activities was severely affected, causing negative physical and mental health implications. Technology flourished as a means of performing daily activities in this complex situation; however, older adults often struggled to effectively use these opportunities. Despite the important role of older adults’ social environments—including their families and health professionals—in influencing their technology use, research into their unique perspectives is lacking. Objective: This study aimed to explore the daily activity performance, health, and technology use experiences of healthy independent Israeli adults (aged ≥65 years) during COVID-19 from a 3-dimensional perspective: older adults, older adults’ family members, and health professionals. Methods: Nine online focus groups, averaging 6-7 participants per group, were conducted with older adults, family members, and health professionals (N=59). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. Results: The intertwining of daily activity performance and health emerged as a central theme, with differences between the groups. Older adults prioritized their self-fulfilling routines based on motivation and choice, especially in social-familial activities. In contrast, family members and health professionals focused on serious physical and mental health COVID-19–related consequences. A consensus among all three groups revealed the meaningful role of technology use during this period in bridging functional limitations. Participants delved into technology’s transformative power, focusing on the need for technology to get engaged in daily activities. Conclusions: This study illustrates the profound interplay between daily activity performances, physical and mental health, and technology use, using a 3-dimensional approach. Its focus on technology’s uses and benefits sheds light on what older adults need to increase their technology use. Interventions for improving digital activity performance can be tailored to meet older adults’ needs and preferences by focusing on motivational and preference-related activities.

Background: Executive function—the cognitive processes and abilities used to perform daily activities and solve real-world problems—is crucial for children’s development. However, existing assessments often lack ecological validity, limiting their ability to reflect real-world cognitive performance. This study aims to validate the Preschool Executive Task Assessment (PETA) as a performance-based ecological measure of executive functions in typically developing Israeli children. Methods: Thirty-six typically developing children participated. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and the Child Evaluation Checklist, while children undertook two Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Revised 95 subtests. Eligible participants completed three performance-based assessments: PETA, the Children’s Kitchen Task Assessment (CKTA), and the Do-Eat. Inter-rater reliability was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and concurrent validity was assessed via correlations with the CKTA and Do-Eat scores. The Benjamini–Hochberg correction method was used to control false-positive findings. Results: Age showed weak-to-moderate correlations with key performance measures, including total score, completion time, and required cues (−0.48 < r < −0.37, p < 0.05), indicating improved PETA performance with age. Inter-rater reliability for the PETA was high (ICC = 0.84). Significant correlations were found between the PETA completion time and CKTA total score (r = 0.42, p = 0.014), and between working memory and the CKTA total score (r = −0.44, p = 0.008). Additionally, significant correlations were found between the PETA and the Do-Eat (−0.69 < r < 0.55). Conclusions: Although further research is needed to refine its use across diverse populations and settings with larger samples, these preliminary findings support the PETA’s reliability and validity as a performance-based executive function assessment in young children. This study advances ecologically valid assessments and aids clinicians in selecting appropriate tools for evaluating executive functions in early childhood.

Previous studies exhibited differences in sensory processing, motor coordination, metacognitive executive functions (EF-MI), and sleep quality among adults with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). This study aims to find relationships between those abilities and organization-in-time, focusing on emotional responses after decreased organization abilities. This is a secondary data analysis of a larger sample from three previous studies conducted in one laboratory. Data were collected from 290 adults; 149 with NDD and 141 sex- and age- (20-50 years) matched controls completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, Adult Developmental Coordination Disorder, Adults Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions, Mini Sleep, and Time Organization and Participation questionnaires. Structural equation model (SEM) analysed relationships and variable prediction. Significant between-group differences were found for all variables; SEM indicated similar paths in both groups. Sensory processing affected EF-MI and sleep quality and significantly correlated with motor coordination, affecting EF-MI; EF-MI affected organization-in-time. Sleep quality significantly affected organization-in-time, affecting emotional responses. Sensory, motor, EF, and sleep differences were associated with decreased organization-in-time abilities of adults with NDD, adversely affecting their emotional well-being. Early detection of such differences and targeted interventions may improve daily functioning and life quality and prevent negative emotional implications.