Technologies for aging gracefully

Physiological Needs Two burgeoning examples of technology addressing physiological needs are health-information websites and health-support social media. The majority of Americans now use the Web to gather information about topics including diseases, treatments, alternative medicine, medications, doctors, hospitals, and health insurance [3]. Increasingly, on newsgroups, websites, and blogs, people are posting their own experiences and also commentaries about health or medical issues. These developments have the potential to enable senior citizens, as well as other members of society, to be more knowledgeable as they try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and also to be better-educated consumers of healthcare. Challenges include being able to judge whether or not data that appears amnesia, aphasia, strokes, multiple sclerosis (MS), or vision loss— as well as normally aging senior citizens. We identify “sweet spots” where technology seems relevant to human need, and envision ways in which we could address a problem, then design, build, test, and, where possible, commercialize solutions. In other words, TAGlab conducts research for the journey through life (see also http://taglab. utoronto.ca/). Technology development to improve the lives of senior citizens may appropriately be framed in terms of the psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs (Figure 1). (TAGlab focuses on the top three levels, but we will describe projects at all five levels.) Biological or physiological needs include oxygen, food, water, warmth, fitness, and health. Safety needs are to feel safe and to be free from real or perceived danger. Love or social needs encompass the need for affection and a sense of belonging to family and a circle of friends. Esteem needs include the need to feel satisfied, selfconfident, and valuable; to engage in meaningful work and activities; We all know the world is aging. Yet the figures are staggering. The United Nations recently quantified the phenomenon as follows: Whereas 5.2 percent of the population was over 65 in the year 1950, this percentage is projected to grow to 15.9 percent in 2050, to 27.5 percent by 2150, and to 32.3 percent by 2300 [1]. The good news is modern medicine has made it possible for people to live longer. The bad news is most individuals who live a long life must combat sensory, motor, cognitive, and social challenges such as vision loss, poor hearing, mobility difficulties, memory loss, social isolation, and loneliness. Technology by itself cannot solve these problems. Yet technology designed to empower older adults and to make them more capable, resourceful, and independent can help. In response to this opportunity, in 2009 we formed the Technologies for Aging Gracefully lab (TAGlab). Our mission is to enable full participation in society by individuals with special needs—for example, people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in te ra c ti o n s M a y + j u n e 2 0 1 2