TY - JOUR
T1 - Envisioning the future for older adults
T2 - Autonomy, health, well-being, and social connectedness with technology support
AU - Rogers, Wendy A.
AU - Mitzner, Tracy L.
N1 - Funding Information:
We dedicate this paper to James White who introduced us to the idea of futures thinking and encouraged us to write it. This effort was supported in part by: the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging; PO1 AG017211) as part of the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (www.create-center.org); and the Department of Health and Human Services (National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; NIDILRR; Grant 90RE5016-01-00) Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Successful Aging with Disability (www.techsage.gatech.edu). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of those agencies and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2017/3/1
Y1 - 2017/3/1
N2 - Envisioning the future of older adults of 2050 is a challenging task given the heterogeneity of the older adult population. We consider primarily the domains of home, health, and social participation for individuals over age 65 and the potential role of information, communication, and robotic technology for enhanced independence, maintenance of autonomy, and enriched quality of life. We develop several scenarios to illustrate the diversity of circumstances, health, and living situations for older adults in the future. We discuss possible negative outcomes resulting from the proliferation of technology, including increased social isolation and a widening digital divide. However, we focus primarily on envisioning desired situations wherein older adults have autonomy and independence; are easily able to manage their health and wellness needs; have rich and rewarding opportunities for social connectedness, personal growth, continued life purpose, and overall high quality of life. To attain this future, we must be acting now: designing the technology with involvement by today's older adults who represent the needs and capabilities of tomorrow's older adults; developing the necessary infrastructure to support widespread availability and deployment of these technologies; and supporting the integration of technology into people's lives at younger ages with adaptive functionality to support changing needs and preferences.
AB - Envisioning the future of older adults of 2050 is a challenging task given the heterogeneity of the older adult population. We consider primarily the domains of home, health, and social participation for individuals over age 65 and the potential role of information, communication, and robotic technology for enhanced independence, maintenance of autonomy, and enriched quality of life. We develop several scenarios to illustrate the diversity of circumstances, health, and living situations for older adults in the future. We discuss possible negative outcomes resulting from the proliferation of technology, including increased social isolation and a widening digital divide. However, we focus primarily on envisioning desired situations wherein older adults have autonomy and independence; are easily able to manage their health and wellness needs; have rich and rewarding opportunities for social connectedness, personal growth, continued life purpose, and overall high quality of life. To attain this future, we must be acting now: designing the technology with involvement by today's older adults who represent the needs and capabilities of tomorrow's older adults; developing the necessary infrastructure to support widespread availability and deployment of these technologies; and supporting the integration of technology into people's lives at younger ages with adaptive functionality to support changing needs and preferences.
KW - Health
KW - Older adults
KW - Social connectedness
KW - Technology
KW - Telepresence
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U2 - 10.1016/j.futures.2016.07.002
DO - 10.1016/j.futures.2016.07.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 28458395
AN - SCOPUS:85002045024
SN - 0016-3287
VL - 87
SP - 133
EP - 139
JO - Futures
JF - Futures
ER -