Articles
The Journal on Active Aging brings articles of value to professionals dedicated to older-adult quality of life. Content sweeps across the active-aging landscape to focus on education and practice. Find articles of interest by searching the article archives in three ways: Enter a keyword in the articles search bar; click on search by topic; or type a keyword or phrase in the general search bar at the top of the page.
Topic- Technology
'Game-changing technologies for reaching and engaging the 55+ audience by Jeff Weiss
Needless to say, technology has been shaping the lives of the active-aging community at a quickening pace, far beyond anything we could have envisioned even five years ago. Its reach clearly extends beyond the capacity to deliver better care or to enhance connectivity with family and friends (although it is doing both of these in ever-expanding ways). More approachable technology is taking "Active Agers" places they haven't been before, improving how they can engage with the outside world and seamlessly enhancing their daily routines. Factoring the role of technology into how to connect with Active Agers applies as much to those working within senior living or aging services as it does to those selling insurance, automobiles, travel, or a host of other products and services. In this article, we'll take a quick look at four technologies that have the potential to reshape how you deliver products, services and messages to the 55+ market.
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Robots: Enabling wellness, independence and enhanced quality of life by Marilynn Larkin, MA
"I define successful aging as being able to do what you want, when you want, where you want and with whom you want," says Wendy Rogers, PhD, an internationally known researcher in the area of technology and aging, and director of the Human Factors & Aging Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A cognitive psychologist by training, she pursued her interest in how older adults learn and use new technologies for close to 20 years at Georgia Institute of Technology. The Journal on Active Aging recently spoke with Dr. Rogers, who is also an ICAA member, about her research on how robots can support successful aging, what's "out there" now with regard to these devices, and what's to come.
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Wellness technologies: The next generation by Marilynn Larkin, MA
It's official. The time has come to overturn the stereotype that older adults aren't interested in technology and are afraid of it. All the data disprove it. According to a February 2018 AARP report, "Getting Connected: Older Americans Embrace Technology to Enhance Their Lives," 92% of adults over age 50 use a computer or laptop, 70% use a smartphone, and more than 43% use a tablet. And, 91% of those with these devices say they use technology to stay in touch with friends and family. This article explores seven "next generation" technologies with Lilian Myers, longevity economy consultant, and Andrew Carle, MHSA, longtime advocate of technology for senior living, to help JAA readers better understand these technologies and how they may support wellness.
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BikeAround: Making memories accessible and world travel feasible for all by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Shortly after George Fermanis started The Fermanis Group, a Canadian consultancy that advises and invests in companies aiming to improve the lives of older adults, a colleague sent him a video about BikeAround. "I was convinced this technology could have practical applications in older-adult communities throughout Canada," Fermanis says. BikeAround consists of a large dome and a cycling unit with sensors embedded in the pedals. It integrates Google Street View, a technology that provides panoramic views of many natural wonders and landmarks, as well as specific streets worldwide. The user sits in the cycling unit and pedals and steers. That same speed and motion are displayed in the dome, offering a user-controlled immersive experience in the environment of choice. The streets and views displayed also can be controlled via computer by another individual-a staff member in a community, for example-to facilitate use by people with mobility impairments.
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Engaging with ElliQ by Marilynn Larkin, MA
"Robots that engage with people are absolutely the future. There's no question that's where robotics is moving," states Brian Scassellatis, PhD, a professor of computer science, cognitive science and mechanical engineering and director of the Social Robotics Lab at Yale University. ... Among the offerings moving right along with this trend is the award-winning "ElliQ, the Active Aging Companion," developed by Intuition Robotics.
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Voyaging via virtual reality by Marilynn Larkin, MA
Excited by growing scientific evidence that virtual reality (VR) is a useful tool for cognitive and physical rehabilitation, I was eager to look at VR programs that are being marketed directly to the active-aging industry for use with residents. While none have yet undergone rigorous large-scale studies, one in particular has been piloted in multiple settings, and will soon be tested in a Harvard University-led study. Rendever, said to "give older adults a window to parts of the world that they're missing," is notable in that it was developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students who won a USD$25,000 Healthcare Innovations prize for the program in 2017. Maplewood Senior Living, which owns and operates 14 senior living communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Ohio, is among the first to pilot Rendever. I recently talked with Maplewood's Brian Geyser, APRN-BC, MSN, vice president of Clinical Innovation and Population Health, about the program, why he decided to deploy it and what the outcomes are so far.
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