Gerontechnology Acceptance Among Caregivers of the Elderly: A Case Study in Hong Kong

As aging societies face mounting pressures on care systems, Gerontechnology has emerged as a critical domain where technological innovation intersects with welfare governance and social policy transformation. While existing research often examines technological adoption among older adults, less attention has been paid to caregivers' acceptance of Gerontechnology. This paper investigates Gerontechnology acceptance among formal and informal caregivers by applying a role-structured interpretation of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), framing adoption as a sociotechnical process embedded within evolving care arrangements. Drawing on qualitative interviews with caregivers across institutional and community-based settings, this study examines how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use are mediated by professional responsibilities, relational values, and access to learning support. Findings indicate that formal caregivers tend to evaluate technology through institutional logics emphasizing efficiency and safety, whereas informal caregivers interpret usefulness in terms of emotional sustainability and relational continuity. Barriers such as learning anxiety, affordability concerns, and ethical reflections on human interaction further demonstrate that adoption decisions are shaped by broader caregiving ecologies rather than technological features alone. By advancing a role-structured extension of TAM, this research contributes to sociotechnical theory while reframing Gerontechnology adoption as a social policy issue. The study proposes a governance-oriented perspective that highlights digital inequality, the redistribution of caregiving labor, and the importance of aligning technological innovation with welfare values.