Completed BBCSS Project

Workshops on Adaptive Aging: From Technology to Gerontology

Publication: Technology for Adaptive Aging

The NRC’s Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) and the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) will conduct two workshops that will explore issues of adaptive aging through technology and examine the potential of recent technological advances for improving the lives of the elderly. The goal of the workshops will be to identify high payoff areas in the development of technological devices that assist people aging normally, as well as those with disabilities and impairments.

The first workshop will concentrate on characterizing the target population over time (i.e., the next 20-30 years) and exploring attitudes to and knowledge of technology: what is known/predicted about cognitive and physical abilities and deficits in the population; predictions about economic and employment status (including retirement decisions); what the priorities of the population are/will be regarding lifestyles, living arrangements, etc.; what are the areas of greatest need and payoff for technology applications.

The second workshop will focus on identifying and evaluating promising technologies and approaches. It will select those that are best suited to serving the needs of the target population as defined in the first workshop, and begin to outline the research needed to develop useful products. The final product produced by the steering committee will be a workshop report highlighting the best papers presented at the two workshops and the most promising technology areas for further development.