Care workers in long-term care broadly refer to individuals who deliver direct care services to people needing daily assistance, typically older adults, in home or residential settings [26]. In residential long-term care facilities, such as assisted living, these professionals are commonly referred to as care assistants, social workers, nursing assistants, and other health care professionals [20,27]. Prior studies indicate that care workers’ roles and job responsibilities are often loosely defined, primarily determined by the individualized needs of their residents [28]. This role ambiguity is particularly pronounced in residential care settings, where person-centered care is a key emphasis [29,30]. While fostering meaningful relationships with residents is central to care work, this closeness can blur professional boundaries, making it difficult to delineate responsibilities [29,30]. As a result, care workers frequently feel an overarching sense of duty for residents’ well-being, taking on multiple roles beyond their formal job descriptions [28,30]. Qualitative studies on care workers’ attitudes toward their responsibility further highlight a persistent tension between care workers’ commitment to holistic resident care and the emotional strain of multitasking, burnout, and heavy workloads [23,31].

Commonly recognized care workers’ routine responsibilities include, but are not limited to, hygiene assistance, medication management, mobility support, case management, and administrative tasks [32]. While these duties already demonstrate the labor-intensive nature of caregiving, research further reveals that many essential caretaking roles and tasks remain unseen and unpaid [23,28]. These include the emotional investment involved in building trust relationships with clients, managing their clients’ emotional responses, and regulating one's own emotions in high-stress environments [33,34]. Additionally, care workers often coordinate to facilitate communication between their clients, health care providers, and other third parties [19,28]. Ongoing studies have continuously advocated for greater recognition of care workers' contribution, particularly the less recognized aspects of their labor, to improve their overall financial and social well-being [23,29].

A growing body of literature has explored the role of technology in enhancing the quality of life and supporting independent engagement in social and health management activities among older adults in long-term care settings [7,9,35]. ICTs, such as computers, laptops, smartphones, and mobile apps, play a crucial role in enabling older residents to maintain connections with family and friends outside of facilities and engage in various leisure activities [7,36,37]. The use of social media and videoconferencing platforms has been shown to effectively reduce social isolation and feelings of loneliness [37-39]. Beyond social engagement, ICTs are also widely used to deliver essential care services, such as telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth) applications, which facilitate the remote provision of routine care and health information [40,41]. These applications help deliver effective personalized care [40]. Moreover, technologies gaining popularity in long-term care facilities also include wearable devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers [6,42], as well as assistive technologies, such as autonomous wheelchairs, designed to enhance functional capacities [43]. These tools support mobility, help monitor health indicators, promote physical activity, and support self-management of chronic diseases [40-43].

The growing use of technologies within long-term care facilities is partly driven by older adults’ voluntary adoption, as evidenced by the steady increase in personal device ownership within this demographic [12]. Additionally, as the long-term care sector continues to experience staffing shortages, these technologies are increasingly recognized for their potential to bridge workforce gaps [44]. Consequently, many facilities have expanded their technological resources by providing residents with access to ICT, assistive, and wearable devices, while actively promoting their use [9,17,37,45]. In some cases, technologies have become so embedded in facility operations that residents must engage with them to carry out routine activities and access services and information within the facility [45]. This trend underscores the increasing significance of technology in the daily lives of older residents in long-term care.

While most technologies require the direct involvement of older adults, studies have highlighted the heightened challenges that older users face in realizing the intended benefits of these tools [18,46]. Older adults exhibit wide variation in digital literacy, prior experience with technology, and physical or cognitive abilities, all of which affect their capacity to use digital tools independently [13,14,46]. Despite the growing availability of technological resources in long-term care facilities, individuals with higher levels of technological proficiency or prior experience are more likely to engage with these tools [17]. In contrast, those with limited experience or skills often remain disengaged, even when they recognize the potential benefits of technology use [16,17]. Moreover, regardless of their skill levels and motivation, many older adults still struggle with basic interactions due to age-related declines in vision, hearing, fine motor skills, or cognitive processing [21,36]. The continuous diversification of devices and interfaces, each requiring different levels of engagement, from basic device operation to security credential management, can further exacerbate the distrust and anxiety associated with technology use for older adults with cognitive and functional impairments [14,15,46].

Consequently, older adults often rely on close social networks for assistance in using technology effectively [16,18]. These networks typically include family caregivers or other younger family and community members who live in close proximity to older adults [16-18]. In long-term care facilities, several studies have shown that professional care workers often become the primary source of technology support for older residents [19,21]. Nevertheless, providing technology support can be challenging [21,22]. For instance, Hardy et al [22] found that facilitating videoconferencing for cognitively impaired older residents was physically demanding, requiring multiple steps to connect them to virtual platforms. Similarly, Chew et al [21] reported dissatisfaction was found among care workers tasked with setting up and managing virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, a responsibility they found burdensome due to visitor restrictions that placed greater reliance on digital communication.

Despite increasing integration of technology in long-term care facilities, limited research has specifically examined care workers’ experiences with providing technology support to their older residents. While prior research emphasizes the importance of care workers in daily resident support, little is known about how technology-related responsibilities intersect with their existing workloads. This gap in the literature risks rendering this emerging aspect of care work unrecognized, thereby negatively affecting their financial and social well-being [22,23]. By examining the direct experiences and perspectives of care workers, this study aims to inform strategies that better support them in long-term care settings.

At the beginning of each interview, participants were asked to describe their job titles, primary responsibilities, and a typical day at work. Despite variations in job titles, all participants reported being actively involved in providing a range of direct care services to residents, extending beyond the generally defined duties associated with each job title. Caregivers, for instance, described a wide array of duties addressing residents’ individual needs holistically, including assistance with meals, hygiene, medication, mobility, and companionship. Participants in medical-care-oriented positions, such as nurses and medication assistants, whose primary responsibilities involved medication administration, condition monitoring, and care plan development, also frequently assisted with personal care tasks, including hygiene and mobility support. Similarly, the administrator, despite primarily handling administrative duties, also engaged directly with residents and their families to ensure their needs were met. Across participants’ narratives, the extensive list of daily tasks highlighted the labor-intensive and multifaceted nature of their work.

There was a strong consensus among the participants that their primary goal was to provide responsive, individualized care tailored to residents’ needs. Consequently, their daily tasks were not rigidly defined but instead heavily shaped by evolving demands of those they cared for. The fluid nature of their work demanded flexibility and adaptability to provide timely and effective support, requiring them to juggle multiple responsibilities and roles. However, the continuous demands of addressing age-related frailty and the complexities of care sometimes led to experiences of burnout.

Among all these responsibilities, technology support consistently emerged as a significant and recurring task, which we explore in detail in the next section.

When initially outlining their responsibilities, participants rarely mentioned providing technology support. However, upon deeper reflection on their daily interactions with residents, in the context of technology use, it became clear that technology is well-integrated into residents’ lives, but often at the condition of their ongoing assistance. Across the board, participants reported varying levels of digital technology use among residents in their facilities, and that many residents frequently relied on their assistance to use these technologies. The most used devices were residents’ personal smartphones and tablets, which they primarily used to access a range of mobile apps. Communication apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Skype, were frequently used to stay connected with family members and access social networks outside the facilities, as well as to stay informed about news. Additionally, some residents were observed using health and wellness applications, including those for fitness tracking and medication management. A smaller number of participants noted residents using gaming apps and streaming services, such as YouTube. Beyond personal devices, some facilities provided residents with access to shared technological resources, actively encouraging their use. For instance, one facility offered virtual reality equipment to enhance exercise routines, while another maintained a computer lab for residents’ personal use. In many cases, participants noted that residents, whether using personal or facility-provided technology, frequently sought their assistance when encountering difficulties or needing additional guidance.

When explicitly prompted to reflect on the frequency of technology support, participants not only revealed the high occurrence of such tasks but also the high percentage of residents performing them. This suggests that providing technology support becomes an essential part of their daily duties, alongside their other caregiving responsibilities.

As participants reflected more deeply on residents’ technology use and support needs, their narratives revealed varying attitudes toward the boundaries between providing tech support and their assigned job responsibilities. On the one hand, some participants viewed tech support work positively, embracing it as a natural extension of their duties. This perspective was often rooted in the belief that technology assistance represents an emerging and essential need among residents. Given that their responsibilities were already seen as multifaceted, they felt that addressing these needs naturally aligned with their role in providing comprehensive care.

In contrast, other participants perceived technology support as outside the scope of their assigned responsibilities. While not entirely opposed to assisting residents, they emphasized the challenges associated with incorporating an additional tech support role into their already multifaceted duties and demanding schedules. This burden was further exacerbated by staffing shortages in long-term care facilities. In response, some participants advocated for alternative solutions, such as hiring dedicated technology support professionals, assigning specific staff for tech-related tasks, or implementing resident training programs to promote digital independence and reduce reliance on care workers for technical assistance. These varying perspectives demonstrated the tensions between evolving care demands in the digital age and traditional understandings of caregiving.

Despite different opinions on whether technology support was a part of their core duties or not, all participants continued to assist residents with technology. This was driven, in part, by a shared acknowledgment that technology use is important to their residents and particularly beneficial in providing the familiar emotional support that participants were unable to offer. As identified by existing studies, one of the major challenges older adults residing in long-term care facilities face is experiences of loneliness and isolation due to reduced opportunities to interact with their families and neighbors [49]. Participants’ narratives also echoed these findings, underlying the prevalence of this issue, particularly among those whose families did not visit regularly. In this case, ICTs served as the primary tool for maintaining residents’ communication with their social networks outside the facilities.

Moreover, there was a collective acknowledgment among participants that the issue related to residents’ heavy reliance on care workers for tech support is inevitable. As revealed by participants, it is simply not possible for residents with heightened age-related physical and cognitive disabilities to use technologies independently. While their deep understanding and empathy for their residents are admirable, it is also crucial to attribute the root cause of this issue not to the inevitable age-related constraints, but to the flawed, existing technology systems that consistently overlook the accessibility needs of older adults [50]. In one facility where a voice assistant was used, the participant demonstrated ongoing difficulties; as such, the device consistently failed to recognize and execute the commands of Spanish-speaking residents. She explicitly attributed her residents’ reliance on staff for tech support to the lack of inclusive technology design, highlighting how language barriers further complicated their ability to navigate digital tools independently.

While perceptions toward the role boundaries between caregiving and technology support varied, there is a general acknowledgment that the experience of tech support could be rewarding. For instance, participants shared sentimental stories of helping residents reconnect with a long-lost family member through videoconference or experience the outside world through virtual reality devices. Furthermore, participants' kindness and efforts in providing technology support were reciprocated by residents’ gratitude and positive emotional feedback, allowing participants to have a sense of meaning and fulfillment in their work. By supporting residents with technology-related issues, participants also strengthened trust and fostered positive relationships, creating a more positive work environment.

Although not all participants explicitly voiced complaints and concerns about the workload associated with providing tech support, a closer examination of their detailed experiences revealed that this role was both physically and emotionally demanding. When prompted to share their observations on the coping strategies residents used to deal with technology-related difficulties, only a few participants mentioned occasional instances of mutual support among residents. In most cases, participants identified that residents relied primarily on staff for assistance, positioning care workers as the first responders to residents’ tech-related requests with the expectation that they would be readily available whenever needed. The high volume and frequency of these demands further exacerbated their already labor-intensive primary responsibilities, contributing to burnout, as outlined in the first section.

Moreover, the workload was further complicated by the repetitive nature of technology-related requests, which often involved recurring issues. As previously mentioned, residents required the most support with emerging digital technologies, particularly mobile apps on their phones and tablets. Modern apps often require users to navigate multistep interactions, manage various settings, and adapt to frequent updates to fully utilize their features. Consequently, assisting residents often involves step-by-step navigation and detailed instructions. However, the initial guidance efforts seldom led to meaningful learning or skill acquisition among residents, leading to repeated interventions for the same issues. As a result, tech support work often became a repetitive task, requiring significant patience, time, and emotional energy, which further strains participants’ already demanding roles.

In addition to the taxing and multifaceted nature of juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, their experiences also revealed that “tech support” encompasses far more than simply addressing technical difficulties. Instead, it often required participants to take on multiple responsibilities, often involving complex coordination tasks. Many participants found themselves acting as coordinators, facilitating communications between residents and third parties, such as families and medical providers. These coordinating tasks included setting up the devices, coordinating schedules with various external parties, and even securing permissions for communication when needed. These responsibilities were particularly pronounced for participants assisting residents experiencing cognitive impairments.

Several facilities that offered communal technology resources and devices for residents actively promoted their use to enhance residents’ health and social engagement. However, these technologies were rarely used by residents without assistance from participants. In facilities where these technology resources were more established, there were formal guidelines regulating residents’ use of technology. Participants’ narratives suggest that such regulation stems from the facility’s concern about potential damage to the high-cost devices. As a result, participants were directly assigned supervisory responsibilities by their employers to ensure the proper functioning, maintenance, and safe use of these devices. Additionally, while the purpose of technologies such as medicine dispensaries is to facilitate residents’ disease self-management, their lack of technology proficiency also led to heightened concerns among participants about the potential health hazards resulting from technology misuse. Consequently, participants voluntarily took on supervisory roles to monitor residents’ technology use.

Moreover, intertwined with their coordination role, participants often had to advocate for technology use among residents who avoided it for various reasons, particularly in facilities with communal technology resources. Aligning with prior research on older adults’ reduced interest in technology adoption [11], participants observed varying degrees of technology hesitation, especially among the oldest residents. Despite well-intentioned efforts to introduce mobile apps and other emerging technologies to enhance residents’ health and social well-being, these efforts were sometimes met with dismissiveness or resistance. Encouraging reluctant residents to engage with technology required patience, empathy, and careful navigation of their moods to foster a supportive and encouraging environment.

Navigating technology later in life without prior exposure to digital learning experience can be emotionally challenging [51,52], particularly for older adults who wish to use technology but struggle to do so. Participants found these difficulties often triggered a range of negative emotions among residents, including frustrations, confusion, and mood swings, which created challenges in their daily work. As a result, participants were responsible not only for addressing technical problems but also for managing residents’ emotional responses while using technologies. To de-escalate these situations, participants used various strategies, such as providing encouragement, offering empathetic guidance, and maintaining patient and supportive communication.

Defensiveness was a particularly common emotional response among residents who highly valued their independence and believed they possessed sufficient knowledge. This often manifested as stubbornness or a reluctance to seek help. While frequent tech support requests could overwhelm participants’ already strained schedules, residents’ intentional avoidance of seeking help posed a different challenge. This was especially true for those managing communal technological devices, as they often had to resolve issues caused by residents’ mishandling. To manage these situations, participants adopted proactive and sensitive approaches when offering assistance, ensuring that residents felt their independence was respected while still receiving the support they needed.

In turn, managing residents’ emotions negatively impacted participants' own emotional well-being and can be mentally draining [53]. Yet, their emotional labor often goes unrecognized by their employers and even by the participants themselves, overshadowed by the deep emotional bonds they share with residents [54]. Correspondingly, in this study, while participants did not explicitly describe technology support work as emotionally burdensome, the constant need to navigate residents’ frustrations with patience and sensitivity, alongside physical tasks, suggested that such work takes an emotional toll. Participants’ narratives made it clear that to provide effective and satisfying technology support, they frequently needed to regulate their own emotions, even in the face of challenging behaviors.