With a plurality of global narratives competing for our mindful attention – from climate change to mass human migration, from social and economic conflict to technological disruption – other threads in the story such as demographic behavioral shifts and aging populations also intertwine, forming one big ball. We are, in our individual and collective ways, in search of a way to make some sense of all this, work on solutions, to unravel the threads of a complex situation.
Somewhere, somehow, in that big ball of intertwined global narratives, we each try to find our lane, our subject matter interest, our fervent cause, while ideally at the same time seek to understand how that fits in the broader context of the world we live in. This may sound too heady, but here in my little realm of conversation in an attempt to help in “recoding a longevity society” I can’t help but keep my third eye on the big ball.
Heading into 2020 though, my watch on the overarching theme of aging and longevity continues with so many threads of topics to follow therein, and in the zooming in and out on any of these, two or three have emerged and looped together for me. One of these is the intertwining of technology and aging.
Mention that phrase in random conversation or even in a room full of professionals in the field of aging and longevity, you might get several variations on meaning and application. The topic of technology itself has enough thread to unravel. Add that to aging, well where to begin. Simply as a starting point it should be said that any technology solution applied to aging must be designed primarily to augment human expertise, assisting people directly with their social, health, wellness, medical and mobility issues incurred in the aging process throughout the life course.
With this in mind, the technologies mostly front and centered in mainstream news are typically artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, sensors and these toss in with digital platforms, apps and so on – digital health data collection, behavioral monitoring, assistive medical devices, virtual reality to name a few.
On the other hand, mention technology and aging, and you are in for a wild ride around “the digital divide”, sometimes myth and much ado about something or nothing – in how comfortable or not older adults are using technology devices like computers, smart phones and tablets. No doubt there are gaps, but opportunities are already in play here to change that experience.
Yet as noted in a 2019 Oxford Academic’s The Gerontologist editorial by Rachel Pruchno, PhD, titled Technology and Aging: An Evolving Partnership – “Although age is a key determinant of the digital divide, other factors contribute to digital disparities, including education, income, gender, and generational status…. Findings highlight the unequal access to emerging information and communication technologies within and among countries.”
Easy to see how when you pull apart one topic, the threads unravel.
If you are new to this emerging field, as a key referencing point, I will again recommend Gerontechnology: Research. Practice and Principles in the field of Technology and Aging (2017), a collection of 24 collected papers compiled by editor, Sunkyo Kwon. Case studies in this book highlight a range of technologies (some already very easily obtained) applied to specific “social contexts from the perspective of interpersonal relationships” (Kamin, Lang & Kamber – Chapter 3)
While making sense in this great unraveling of technology and aging it is important to keep focus on who benefits most from the advances in research and product development and in what areas of society – our social structures, institutions and policies – does the role of technology have its most immediate effect. How, where and to whom are these technologies directly and/or indirectly marketed – commercial, consumer or both? Who sees this as an opportunity? Who is investing?
Beginning in December the Change Rangers web site will reset the focus to push forward technology and aging as a key topic area and this will include a change to blog post categories and a home page remake. A number of new organizations and resources will add to a list that already includes the great work of the Stanford Longevity Center Design Challenge and Canada’s Technology & Aging Network, AGE-WELL.
To serve as a reminder that the future of technology and aging is still in the making, it is worth sharing the vision of the International Society for Gerontechnology, as it works “toward the realization of a society fully served by technology that is as accessible to ageing people as it is to people in younger generations.” How fitting that their next conference will be in Norway this coming May 2020.