Abstract
Gerontechnology is an interdisciplinary field that combines research on the sciences underpinning technology and aging to achieve optimal technical environments for aging and aged people. Of the six technical disciplines most directly involved in Gerontechnology--chemistry, architecture, communication, mechatronics (robotics), ergonomics, business management—communication is directly or indirectly involved in more areas of technologically supported environments--health, everyday living, transportation, work and leisure--than any of the others. The paper will selectively review the research on communication and aging with special attention to how these technologies improve: acceptance and use of communication technology; communication between people; between people and machine generated information; and the use of direct communications between machines and people to influence or direct human behavior. Special attention will be given to the role of high speed networking and embedded technologies in creating new dimensions of communication between people and machines. Future longitudinal studies should examine predictors of wandering behavior, and further research should explore the understudied subpopulations of wheelchair and dual-diagnosis wanderers who emerged in this study.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Gerontechnology |
| Volume | 7 |
| State | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- technology generations
- situated learning
- visual and auditory enhancers
- ergonomics
- location-aware technology
Disciplines
- Social and Behavioral Sciences