The potential for technology to enhance independence for those aging with a disability

Abstract

Technologies of all kinds can sustain and accelerate improvements in health and quality of life for an aging population, and enhance the independence of persons with disabilities. Assistive technologies are widely used to promote independent functioning, but the aging of users and their devices produces unique challenges to individuals, their families, and the health care system. The emergence of new “smart” technologies that integrate information technology with assistive technologies has opened a portal to the development of increasingly powerful, individualized tools to assist individuals with disabilities to meet their needs. Yet, issues of access and usability remain to be solved for their usefulness to be fully realized. New cohorts aging with disabilities will have more resources and more experience with integrated technologies than current elders. Attention to technological solutions that help them adapt to the challenges of later life is needed to improve quality of life for those living long lives with disabilities.

Older Adults' Reasons for Using Technology while Aging in Place

“…In light of this development, aging in place, which can be defined as ‘remaining living in the community, with some level of independence, rather than in residential care' [2], is often viewed by policy makers as a way to avoid the costly option of institutional care, and as a means to cope with the expected shortage of care professionals [3,4]. Additionally, technology is frequently postulated as a means of supporting aging in place [5,6]. For example, in the Netherlands, technological innovations are expected to enable an increase in the number of dwellings that are suitable for older people [7].…”

Ageing and Caring as Couples with Disabilities

“…Putnam 2012) as well as in a Nordic context (Thorsen & Jeppsson Grassman, 2012;Jeppsson Grassman & Whitaker, 2013). This is often attributed to the demographic trend that it has only been in past decades that groups of people with extensive or lasting disabilities have been able to live long lives and reach what is thought of as "old age" (Agree, 2014). Due to advancements in welfare and medicine, many people with earlyonset disabilities can now live longer than in the past (Naidoo, Putnam & Spindel, 2012;LaPlante, 2014).…”

“…For instance, although there is much research on people with disabilities as early adults, there is less knowledge on people with long-term disabilities in later life (Yorkston, McMullan, Molton & Jensen, 2010). The disability processes related to ageing are also well-researched, but not the pathways of the people growing old with these disabilities (Agree, 2014). Thus, recent works that try to fill this gap refer to the important distinction between research on "ageing with disability", which is still underexplored, and research on "ageing into disability" that has characterized the majority of previous works on impairments and high age (Yorkston et al, 2010;Washko, Campbell & Tilly, 2012;LaPlante, 2014;Monahan & Wolf, 2014).…”

A Framework to Develop Adaptive Multimodal Dialog Systems for Android-Based Mobile Devices

“…This is particularly useful for people with visual or motor disabilities, allowing their integration and the elimination of barriers to Internet access [2]. For this reason, multimodal conversational agents are becoming a strong alternative to traditional graphical interfaces which might not be appropriate for all users and/or applications [1].…”