Aging & Social Change: Twelfth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the population ratio of older adults relative to the overall population is increasing and is projected to continue. This shifting ratio represents both an opportunity and a social responsibility for designers and engineers to develop technologies, interfaces, and applications that are adaptive for the capacities and limitations of older adults. These individuals may benefit from emerging technologies and intelligent devices to maintain their independence and stay at home for longer durations. This shifting demographic has also created the new field of gerontechnology as an interdisciplinary field of science for designing technology and environments to facilitate independent living and social participation for older adults. In this paper, we introduce a research project with the objective of designing and developing intelligent-assistive technology that is developmentally and culturally viable. More specifically, we explore non-wearable devices that can become part of the environment inside the homes of older Mexican adults. This device should assist older adults to live independently while maintaining positive standards of health, comfort, and safety. While our project consists of four broad stages, we present the results of the first stage (needs assessment) with specific reference to Mexican cultural aspects and supported by a literature review, participatory workshop outcomes, observation activities, and focused interviews with older adults and caregivers.