Using assistive technologies to improve lives of older adults and people with disabilities

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Kowtko
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies

scholarly journals Investigating socially assistive systems from system design and evaluation: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi Qiu ◽  
Pengcheng An ◽  
Kai Kang ◽  
Jun Hu ◽  
Ting Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
System Design ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Sensory Loss ◽  
System Evaluation ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Assistive Systems

AbstractPurpose The development of assistive technologies that support people in social interactions has attracted increased attention in HCI. This paper presents a systematic review of studies of Socially Assistive Systems targeted at older adults and people with disabilities. The purpose is threefold: (1) Characterizing related assistive systems with a special focus on the system design, primarily including HCI technologies used and user-involvement approach taken; (2) Examining their ways of system evaluation; (3) Reflecting on insights for future design research. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using the keywords “social interactions” and “assistive technologies” within the following databases: Scopus, Web of Science, ACM, Science Direct, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore. Results Sixty-five papers met the inclusion criteria and were further analyzed. Our results showed that there were 11 types of HCI technologies that supported social interactions for target users. The most common was cognitive and meaning understanding technologies, often applied with wearable devices for compensating users’ sensory loss; 33.85% of studies involved end-users and stakeholders in the design phase; Four types of evaluation methods were identified. The majority of studies adopted laboratory experiments to measure user-system interaction and system validation. Proxy users were used in system evaluation, especially in initial experiments; 42.46% of evaluations were conducted in field settings, primarily including the participants’ own homes and institutions. Conclusion We contribute an overview of Socially Assistive Systems that support social interactions for older adults and people with disabilities, as well as illustrate emerging technologies and research opportunities for future work.

scholarly journals Transforming Cultural Ideas of Aging and Disability to Improve Policy and Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 645-645
Author(s):  
Anne Ordway
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Interest Group ◽  
Quality Of Health Care ◽  
Real World ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Full Participation

Abstract Aging and disability are normative processes that extend across the lifespan. However, ageism and ableism are incorporated into many of our practices, programs, and policies—devaluing the lives of older adults and people aging with disabilities and ultimately preventing their full participation in society. Ageism and ableism are closely connected. For example, both systems identify impairment as an individual and social liability. As recent studies have demonstrated, this has real world implications for the quantity and quality of health care requested, delivered, and received by both older adults and people with disabilities. In this session, we discuss the connections between these two forms of oppression and present recent work by researchers in both fields and the FrameWorks Institute that shows how to transform our cultural ideas of aging and disability and development more inclusive policies and services. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Lifelong Disabilities Interest Group.

scholarly journals Underrepresentation of Adults and Older Adults With Disabilities in Behavioral Clinical Trials: A Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 644-644
Author(s):  
Susan Stark ◽  
Marian Keglovits ◽  
Sandra Espín Tello
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Behavioral Studies ◽  
Behavioral Trials

Abstract A lack of evidence-based interventions for people aging with long-term physical disabilities exists. To examine the exclusion of people with disabilities in behavioral clinical trials, a scoping review was conducted. ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for interventional behavioral studies from the United States completed from 2008–2018, with results focused on adults (18–64) and older adults (65+). In total, 158 clinical trials were included. In 129 articles, health conditions were excluded 697 times. Seventy-one clinical trials excluded at least one health condition with strong justification, 11 with poor justification, and 115 without justification. There is strong evidence that people with disabilities are excluded from behavioral clinical trials, often without justification. To help close this gap, our presentation will discuss how translational research strategies, focused on adapting existing EB behavioral trials, can be used to increase the availability of interventions that address the needs of individuals aging with and into long-term disabilities. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Lifelong Disabilities Interest Group.

scholarly journals A Survey on the Influence of CYBATHLON on the Development and Acceptance of Advanced Assistive Technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Thomas Meyer ◽  
Selina Weber ◽  
Lukas Jäger ◽  
Roland Sigrist ◽  
Roger Gassert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
User Centered Design ◽  
User Centered

Abstract Background: Advanced assistive technologies (AAT) aim to exploit the vast potential of technological developments made in the past decades to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. Combining complex robotic technologies with the unique needs of people with disabilities requires a strong focus on user-centered design to ensure that the AAT appropriately addresses the daily life struggles of target users. The CYBATHLON aims to promote this mindset by empowering the AAT target users (“pilots”) to compete on race tracks that represent daily life obstacles. The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of the CYABTHALON on AAT technology development, acceptance, and user involvement (i.e., application of user-centered design).Methods: With an online survey targetting the pilots and technical leads of teams preparing for the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, we investigated to what extent the pilots were involved in device development and how this influences the perceived daily life usability of the showcased AAT. Furthermore, the effects of user-centered design variables on the individual race performances were analyzed.Results: A total of 81 responses from 35 pilots and 46 technical leads were collected in the two weeks prior to the event. Of all teams partaking in the included disciplines of the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, 81.8% (36 of 44) were included in the study. User-centered design appeared to be a prevalent practice among the teams, as 85.7% of all pilots reported a certain level of involvement. However, only 25.5% of the pilots reported daily life usage, despite QUEST usability scores of both respondent groups showing moderate to high satisfaction with the respected AAT across all investigated disciplines. An explorative linear mixed model indicated that daily life usage (p < 0.05) and prolonged user involvement (e.g. more than 2 years, p < 0.001) have a significant positive effect on the race performance at the competition.Conclusions: We conclude that the CYBATHLON positively fullfills its conceptual goals of promoting active participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the design and evaluation of AAT, thereby stimulating the development of promising novel technological solutions. Also, our data could underline the value of the competition as a benchmark, highlighting remaining usability limitations or technology adoption hurdles.

AsTeRICS

2014 ◽  
pp. 154-179
Author(s):  
Klaus Miesenberger ◽  
Gerhard Nussbaum ◽  
Roland Ossmann
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Motor Disabilities ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Modern Information ◽  
Easy Integration ◽  
Efficient Software

The authors outline the potential of sensor technology for people with disabilities and those people with motor disabilities in general. First the authors describe how people with disabilities interact with the environment using specialized Assistive Technologies (AT) to interface modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) via the standardized Human-Computer Interface (HCI). The authors discuss the state-of-the-art and emerging sensor technology and how it enhances the potential of AT facilitated interaction with ICT/HCI regarding two domains: a) Sensor technology embedded in the environment providing flexible and adaptable means of interaction and b) sensor technology for better, more flexible and efficient application of skills of people with disabilities as AT solutions. Based on this analysis the authors advocate for changing AT practice in terms of assessment and service provision, but also R&D to recognize the extended potential provided by sensor technology to exploit presently unused or neglected skills of users. The authors underline the need to make AT solutions more flexible, adaptable, and affordable. the authors argue, in view of the potential of sensor technology, that there is an increasing need for an efficient software framework allowing an easy integration of sensor technology into AT solutions or even individual AT service provision. Finally the authors present the AsTeRICS framework as an example of an extendable AT construction set for an open source and crowed sourcing approach for a more user-centered, easy, fast, and economic implementation of sensor based or sensor enhanced AT solutions.

Human Performance

2014 ◽  
pp. 267-273
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
The Future ◽  
Performance Issues ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

This chapter looks into horizontal issues in ICT advances and discusses how the factor of human performance could help in increasing the impact of eAccessibility and assistive technologies in the future. More specifically, it revisits some of the ideas presented in earlier chapters looking at them from a different angle. The one of maximizing the audience and target group for assistive technologies through the increase in human performance, issues related with exoskeletons for working environments and dual use of assistive technology, sports as a motivator, aesthetics and fashion of prosthetics are discussed from this same perspective. Human performance could be a critical factor for the future of assistive technologies, and today's people with disabilities could become tomorrow's people with super-abilities and leaders in human performance issues.

The Internet of Things and Assistive Technologies for People with Disabilities

2017 ◽  
pp. 32-65
Author(s):  
Hwa Lee
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Iot Applications ◽  
Recent Emergence ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
The Internet Of Things

With the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the past two decades have seen a proliferation of Assistive Technology (AT) and its enabling impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the areas of accessing information, communication, and daily living activities. Due to recent emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the fields of rehabilitation, healthcare, and education are challenged to incorporate the IoT applications into current AT services. While IoT applications continue to be developed and integrated into AT, they are still at a primitive stage where clear guidelines are yet to be developed and benefits are yet to be substantiated to ensure the quality of lives of people with disabilities. This chapter provides an overview of the IoT and AT integrated applications based on the building blocks of the IoT, along with recent trends and issues relevant to accessing technology for people with disabilities.

Developing Assistive Technologies for Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Carers

2019 ◽  
pp. 203-220
Author(s):  
Diane Feeney Mahoney
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Home Monitoring ◽  
End Users ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Ethical Foundation ◽  
Neurocognitive Impairments ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Care Problems

This chapter examines the ethical principles applicable to gerontechnology research and development for in-home monitoring of persons with neurocognitive impairments. Principles addressed include respect for persons, autonomy, beneficence, justice, nonabandonment, nonmalfeasance, and privacy. Key issues for designers, developers, end-users, and reviewers are highlighted by uniquely drawing from real-world research examples. Studies indicate that among stakeholders there remains an emotional tension between “high tech” and “high touch” interventions for older adults with dementia. At the extremes, technophobic humanists dismiss technology as universally inferior to human assistance, while techno-proponents view it as the solution to care problems resulting from human limitations. “Benevolent” geriatric protectionism from technology is paternalistic and stifles innovation, while pushing technology without input from geriatric end-users results in products mismatched to their needs. Society will be better served if both viewpoints thoughtfully consider the ethical foundation of their beliefs informed by research findings to foster approaches that do good, not harm.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Fabrice Jotterand ◽  
Marcello Ienca ◽  
Tenzin Wangmo ◽  
Bernice S. Elger
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Legal Challenges ◽  
Specialized Care

Dementia and especially Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are among the most expensive and burdensome diseases in Western societies. It is estimated that the number of older adults being diagnosed and living with dementia reached 35.6 million worldwide in 2010 and it is expected to increase up to 135.5 million in 2050. The increased incidence of the disease poses a major challenge for public health systems and health care services in terms of financial management and provision of specialized care to this patient population. The development and implementation of smart assistive tools (Intelligent Assistive Technologies - IATs) to compensate for the specific physical and cognitive deficits of older adults with dementia have been recognized by many as one of the most promising approaches to this emerging financial and caregiving burden. This volume aims at providing an up-to-date overview of the current state of the art of IATs for dementia care, determining their current taxonomy, and defining their functionality, capability, and level of implementation. In addition, this collection of essays examines the implications of the use of IATs at the medical level, including psychological and clinical issues and the ethical and legal challenges such as problems related to their long-term effects (psychological and physiological), questions related to privacy, and the values and norms guiding the development of regulatory frameworks at the national and international stage.

Developing and evaluating web-based assistive technologies for older adults

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Money ◽  
S. Fernando ◽  
L. Lines ◽  
A.D. Elliman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Web Based
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