دور التكنولوجيا الحديثة في خدمة المسنين : المبررات و الشروط و التحديات

Abstract EN

The crux of This research is to discusses relationships between the aged and modern technology.

It shows why the elderly, always needs to rely on technology.

The paper assures that the old age is often accompanied with many Motor, Cognitive and Sensory deteriorations.

Then the elder becomes no longer able to depend on himself.

Consequently, he has to get some kind of care, introduced for him either by any family members (often his wife / her husband), or through formal providers .This makes him, in his daily life activities and within any human formation, have to use certain types of modern technological achievements.

Then whenever modern technology is available and accessible, it makes life easier and happier, and many of daily activities can be done easily .

The paper is divided into five main parts.

The first part defines important concepts as the old age, the elderly, and the aging process within global, and regional contexts as well .

The second part explains why relying on modern technology is very critical in the old age.

Here we admit that elders want to manage and cope for themselves.

We concluded that technology helps compensate the continuous loss in vital as well as biological functions of the elders.

Also, modern technology helps in fostering self- dependency.

Moreover it enables the aged get many personal alternatives in life, and it leads to Maintenance of Capabilities and manages them to control many things.

When technology is available and accessible there will no longer need to pay for formal care providers, or nursing at home, and adaptation to environment will be done safely.

In the third part, we specify the (AT), Assistive Technology, as the certain type of modern technology that the aged exactly needs.

The paper we refer to many "Families Of Assistive Technology", all of them should be available and commercialized.

Chair With Lefts, Touch-Sensitive, light Switches, Phone Amplifiers Walking Aids, and any other Community Equipmets are at the very heart of the A.T.

The forth section provides certain conditions under which the elders can accept modem technology, or what is called "Conditions of User Acceptability".

Some of these conditions are the Felt Need For Assistance, User Characteristics, attributes of the A.

T., suitability to living arrangements and housing type and design, in addition to access to the availability of A.

T.

itself.

In the next part, we detail fields through which elders can depend on technology, as in the realm of Health and clinical care, through Telemedicine or Telehealth (Electrocardiogram, Unobtrusive Wearable Devices, Sense-Wear Patch, Galvanic Skin Response, RFID: Radio Frequency Identification Device… etc) Also Information and communication technology (I.C.T), facilitating aids in moving from place to place either inside or outside the house, are of reliable assistive of technology for the elders.

Finally, we discuss challenges and horizons of Assistive Technology.