Transcription
C o r r e s p o n d e n ce / B o o kA u g u s t 2 0 0 5 , Vo l 4 , N o 1ETHw w w . g e r o n te c h jo u r n a l. n e t54ICS IN D O M O TICS (R EPLY )Pre viou s ly van Be rlo1 s tate d th at “It is e th icallynot acce ptab le to u s e cam e ras for ach ie ving cos te fficie ncy in th e care of pe ople w ith m e ntaldis ab ilitie s ”. I fu lly agre e w ith th is s tate m e nt, as far asth e s e cam e ras are only u s e d for pas s ive m onitoring du ring care at nigh t and in th e e ve ning. Pe rs onalprivacy is a gre at good th at s h ou ld not b ere m ove d from a pe rs on u nle s s it is ab s olu te ly u navoidab le . Be s ide th is , fam ily m e m b e rs are notalw ays com fortab le w ith th e th ou gh t th atm oth e r or fath e r are b e ing w atch e d.H ow e ve r, m u ch of th e pas s ive cam e ra m onitoring cou ld b e trans form e d in 2-w ay com m u nication on de m and b e tw e e n care r and clie nt in avide oph one e nvironm e nt. Th is m ore active u s eof cam e ra-te ch nology h as prove n to b e s u cce s s 2fu l. Vide oph one s ys te m s cre ate a fe e ling ofs ocials e cu rity. It doe s not b e ar th e privacy re s trictions of pas s ive cam e ra m onitoring, at th es am e tim e im proving a de m and drive n care . Pe rs ons m ay conne ct to th e s ys te m w h e ne ve r th e yfe e llik e it.Th e s m allcom m u nitie s of inde pe nde ntly livingpe rs ons w ith no s e ve re m e ntal dis ab ilitie s asm e ntione d b y Van Be rlo1 cou ld b e ne fit gre atlyfrom s u ch a vide oph one s e t-u p. It w ou ld notonly dim inis h th e ne e d for dire ct pe rs onalcareat nigh t b u t als o du ring th e day. O lde r adu ltsw ith s e ve re m e ntaldis ab ilitie s cou ld b e m onitore d b y u s e of oth e r te ch nologie s th an th at ofcam e ras . Th e D u tch as s ociation for h om e care(LVT) is in th e proce s s of e valu ating allnationalproje cts now u s ing a vide oph one te ch niq u e , tob e com ple te d b y au tu m n th is ye ar.R e fe re nce s1. Be rlo A van. Eth ics in dom otics . Ge ronte ch nology 3(3):170;20052. w w w .cam care .nl;acce s s e d Ju ly 2, 2005H elianth e S.M . K ort Ph DFacu lty Ch air D e m and D rive n Care , Facu lty ofH e alth Care , H oge s ch oolvan Utre ch t,Utre ch t, Th e Ne th e rlandsE: h illy.k ort@ h vu.nlBO O K R EVIEWCh arne s s , N. & W arne r Sch aie , K . (Eds .) (2003)Im pact of Te ch nology on Su cce s s fu lA ging. Ne wYork : Springe r, 352 page s . ISBN 0-8261-2403-8.Price : US 47.9 5Th is volu m e is th e fifte e nth in th e s e rie s ‘Socie talIm pact on A ging’ th at s tarte d in 19 89 andw h ich pre s e nts th e contrib u tions of confe re nce sin a s pe cialw ay. Th e re are s ix re vie w s on a re s tricte d nu m b e r of topics w h ich are follow e d b yR e vi e wtw o dis cu s s ion pape rs , one b y a s cie ntis t of th es am e dis cipline , and one from a ne igh b ou ringdis cipline . W h e re as dis cu s s ion and m u ltidis ciplinarity m igh t b e th ou gh t to prom ote dis s e nt andcontrove rs y, th is is not th e cas e in th is volum eth at s ports cons tru ctive com m e nts and agre e m e nt. Roge rs and Fis k introdu ce th e ge ne raltopic w ith a com pre h e ns ive re vie w of w h e re te ch nology fails to b e u s ab le and w h at can b e doneto cou nte r th is . Th e y s h ow th at de s igne rs cons is te ntly u nde re s tim ate th e inh e re nt variab ilityin th e popu lation, of you ng and olde r pe oplealik e ; a point force fu lly e m ph as iz e d b y Ch arne s s . Sch ie b e r provide s an adm irab ly b roadre vie w of th e e ffe ct of aging on vis ion, h e aring,atte ntion and m e m ory. Inte re s ting ne w ph e nom e na h e pre s e nts are th at re du ction in colou rs e ns itivity can b e com pe ns ate d q u ite w e llb y incre as ing lu m inance . A noth e r is th at th e de clinein s pe e ch inte lligib ility, docu m e nte d alre ady b yJe rge r to s tart in th e m id th irtie s , can b e re du ce d b y providing s e m antic conte xt of ne igh b ou ring w ords . Com m e nting on th e de s igngu ide line s propos e d b y Sch ie b e r, Foz ard note sth at cons u m e r e du cation is also lack ing, e .g., inre lation to h e aring aids . From th e re vie w b yCz aja and Le e th e re ade r can de du ce th at actu ale m pirical re s e arch on Inte rne t u s e b y olde rpe ople is rath e r s carce ; m u ch m ore is k now n onth e capab ility of olde r pe ople to le arn to u s es oftw are applications . H e lpfu lly, M orre ll, D aileyand Rou s s e au pre s e nt th e ir s tu dy on th e u s ab ility of th e w e b s ite NIH Se niorH e alth .gov fromw h ich it appe ars th at e xis ting gu ide line s cans tillb e too vagu e , b u t as th e y claim , th e de s ignof th e s ite can s e rve as an inte re s ting m ode l.Am os t w e lcom e ch apte r is th at b y M ann on th e b e ne fits of as s is tive te ch nology, b oth in te rm s offinancialcos t and in te rm s of ph ys icaland ps ych ologicalw e ll-b e ing. W h ile as s is tive te ch nologyin m os t cas e s cannot pre ve nt fu rth e r de cline , itcou ld b e s h ow n th at th e lack of as s is tive te ch nology le ads to m u ch gre ate r de cline , and in th ee nd far h igh e r cos ts . Ye t, te ch nology m ay not b es e e n as as s is tive at all. A ccording to th e s tu dyb y W ah l and M olle nk opf cons u m e r produ cts ,m os tly for e nte rtainm e nt and com m u nication,h ave a h igh e r diffu s ion rate and popu larity th andom e s tic appliance s . Re m ark ab ly, w h ile pe opleh ave ab ou t th e s am e nu m b e r of b ad e xpe rie nce sfor h ou s e h old te ch nology as for com m u nicationand e nte rtainm e nt produ cts , th e y h ave m orefe ar for th e latte r, w h ich s e e m s s trange cons ide ring th e pote ntialph ys icalris k s . W ah land M olle nk opf argu e th at e xpe rim e ntal inte re s t h aslarge ly gone to th e m icro le ve l, and not to th eb roade r s ocie talfactors th at influ e nce te ch nology u s e . In th e finalch apte r Liu and Park gives om e inte re s ting e xam ple s of h ow te ch nologycan b e u s e d e ffe ctive ly in s u pporting corre ct
D on G. Bou w h u is Ph DE: d.g.b ouw h uis @ tue .nlPEO PLER ich ard Pie pe r h onorary m e m b e r for life !Rich ard Pie pe r w as appointe d h onorary m e m b e rof th e Inte rnationalSocie ty for Ge ronte ch nologyin a Board M e e ting in Nagoya, M ay 27, 2005.Earlie r appointe dh onorary m e m b e rsareH e rm an Bou m a, Vappu Taipale and Jan Graafm ans .Prof. Rich ard Pie pe r h asq u alifications in s ociologyof u rb an and s ocial planning, te ch nology and e nvironm e nt, and ge rontology.H e re ce ive d h is Ph .D . in s ociology at th e Unive rs ity ofH am b u rg and h is ‘H ab ilitation’ at th e Te ch nicalUnive rs ity of M u nich . Since19 9 4 h e is profe s s or for u rb an s tu die s ands ocialplanning at th e Unive rs ity of Bam b e rg. H ism ain fie lds of re s e arch are in age ing and te ch nology, and planning and m anage m e nt of s ocialand h e alth care s ys te m s . Be s ide s s tu die s on cons ultation of h om e adaptations for th e e lde rlyand ge riatric am b u lant re h ab ilitation h e participate d s ince 19 9 6 in tw o EU-proje cts in th e fie ld ofelde rly care : PLA NEC (19 9 6-9 8) - a R& D proje ctin th e Te le m atics A pplication program m e de ve loping a PC-application for planning, m onitoringand e valu ation of e lde rly care s ys te m in Eu rope(s u b contractor), TED (19 9 7-9 9 ) - Te ch nology,Eth ics and D e m e ntia, a conce rte d action u nde rBIO M ED 2 s tu dying th e options for th e s u pportof inde pe nde nt living of pe rs ons w ith de m e ntiaand th e ir care rs b y innovative te ch nologie s andde ve loping a PC-application for th e s tim u lationand activation of de m e ntia patie nts (co-ordinator). From 19 9 2 - 19 9 6 h e w as re pre s e ntative forGe rm any in th e EU-program CO ST A 5 ‘A ge ingand Te ch nology’. Since 2001 h e is partne r forGe rm any in th e EU-Th e m atic Ne tw ork ‘CA RM EN Th e Care and M anage m e nt of Se rvice s for O lde rPe ople in Eu rope Ne tw ork ’.Rich ard is one of th e co-fou nde rs of th e Inte rnationalSocie ty for Ge ronte ch nology, and s e rve dm ore th an 3 te rm s on th e Board, u s u ally h oldingth e office of vice -pre s ide nt. In addition h e organiz e d th e s u cce s s fu l3rd Inte rnationalConfe re nceon Ge ronte ch nology in M u nich in 19 9 9 .Jan Ek b e rg, ISG Se cre tary-Ge ne ral.E: jan.e k b e rg@ s tak e s .fiISG BUSINESSIm pre s s ions from th e Nagoya Confe re nceSom e s tatis tics : th e confe re nce cou nte d 200 participants from 16 diffe re nt cou ntrie s . In total74% of th e participants originate d from 6 diffe re nt A s ian nations . Eu rope w as pre s e nt w ith 8cou ntrie s and 37 participants (18.5%), w h ile 2cou ntrie s of North A m e rica accou nte d of 15 pe rs ons or 7.5% of th e atte ndance .Ple nary m e e tingD is cu s s ions w e re live ly and re s u lte d in a goode xch ange of inform ation as to th e s itu ation andte ch nologicaloptions in th e diffe re nt ge ograph ical re gions . K ans e i e ngine e ring (u s e r-orie nte dde s ign) appe are d to b e th e m ains tre am in Japan,m ak ing it an e xam ple to th e re s t of th e w orld.A m ore de taile d re port w illb e inclu de d in th ene xt is s u e .M. Nagam ach i (te xt)Ne ilCh arne s s (pictu re s )55w w w . g e r o n te c h jo u r n a l. n e tm e dication or h ow m ob ile ph one s w ith a m inim al inte rface can b e im m e ns e ly u s e fu l in s itu ations of frailty. Th e re is s om e du plication inth is ch apte r w ith th at of Sch ie b e r ab ou t m e m oryth at cou ld h ave b e e n b e tte r co-ordinate d. A n intrigu ing finding is m e ntione d b y th e au th ors inth at olde r pe ople h aving re ad fals e inform ationte nd to th ink it is tru e on re pe ate d re ading,u nlik e you nge r folk s , w h o ge t m ore convince d itis fals e . It provide s an inte re s ting glim ps e of th efactors one cou ld look at in introdu cing te ch nology into s ocie ty. M orrow s h ow s th at e ve n b as icte ch nology, lik e note tak ing, can im prove e lde rlycognitive fu nctioning im pre s s ive ly. A noth e r practicalob s e rvation is th at b y Gu e ldne r and Loe b ,w h o s tu die d th e b e ne fit of a te le ph one forpe ople w ith ph ys icallim itations . It is a b e au tifu le xam ple of h ow care fu lob s e rvation of s im pleactivitie s can produ ce valu ab le ins igh ts of gre atpracticalre le vance .D e s pite its title th is b ook is s u fficie ntly varie d toe vok e b road inte re s t; e m ine ntly s u itab le for th ere s e arch e r in th is are a, u s e fu lfor gradu ate s tu de nts , b u t m ayb e s om e w h at le s s appe aling forth e th e oris t.A u g u s t 2 0 0 5 , Vo l 4 , N o 1Pe o p le / I SG B u s i n e s s
I SG B u s i n e s sA u g u s t 2 0 0 5 , Vo l 4 , N o 1D raft-m inute s of th e Ge ne ral A s se m bly of M ay 26, 2005, Nagoya, Japanw w w . g e r o n te c h jo u r n a l. n e t56Flock ing in th e e xh ib ition h allLive ly dis cus s ion (Jam e s Foz ard)Ch airs m e e ting: Mits uo Nagam ach i, ch air of th econfe re nce (le ft) and H e rm an Boum a, pre s ide ntof th e ISGAm az ing drum m ing at th e b anq ue tPre s e nt: 19 m e m b e rs from 5 cou ntrie sA pologie s : Tre as u re r W ie t K ore n1.W e lcom ePre s ide nt of ISG, H e rm an Bou m a ope ne d th em e e ting at 6 pm and w e lcom e d th e participants . Jan Ek b e rg w as e le cte d as s e cre tary forth e m e e ting.2. D raft m inute s from th e A s s e m b ly m e e ting2002Th e draft m inu te s of th e Ge ne ralA s s e m b ly ofNove m b e r 10, 2002, M iam i, USA w e re approve dw ith th e corre ction th at K az u o Yam ab a (localorganis ing com m itte e ) w as e le cte d to th e b oard.3.A nnounce m e ntsPaolo D ario pre s e nte d th e draft conte nt for anISG confe re nce 20-23 M ay 2008 in Pis a. Th e Italian popu lation is aging ve ry fas t. Th e re s e archon te ch nology for s u pporting olde r pe ople isve ry dive rs ifie d inclu ding, for ins tance , com m u nications , inform ation te ch nology, rob otics . Th econfe re nce cou ld b e organis e d partly in co-ope ration w ith oth e r organis ations in orde r to ge t atte ndants from oth e r dis cipline s to ge t inte re s te d in ge ronte ch nology.Th e A s s e m b ly approve d th e propos alto h aveth e ne xt confe re nce in Pis a.Vice pre s ide nt Ne ilCh arne s s gave a s h ort ove rvie w of th e M iam i ISG congre s s 2002. Th enu m b e r of participants , 161, w as a little toos m allw h ich re s u lte d in a s m alllos s . Bu t th e confe re nce as s u ch w as good and appre ciate d.Vice pre s ide nt M its u o Nagam ach i, ge ne ralch airfor th e organis ing com m itte e , gave an ove rvie wof th e Nagoya confe re nce . O rganis ing com m itte e pre s ide nt w as Noritak a Sh im iz u , s e nior advis or to th e b oard, Toyota M otor Corporation.Profe s s or K az u o Yam ab a ch aire d th e localorganis ing com m itte e , and K e n Sagaw a th e programcom m itte e . Final nu m b e r of acce pte d pape rsw as 142 and acce pte d pos te rs 26. Th e nu m b e rof participants w as 181 (tu rne d ou t late r to b eas h igh as 200).4.R e portsExe cutive b oard re port: Th e inte rnationals ocie ty for Ge ronte ch nology h as b e e n pre s e nte d atm any congre s s e s du ring th e las t pe riod in EU,US and Japan.Pub lication com m itte e : Th e jou rnalis now th epre dom inant m e diu m for ISG. Th e Socie ty cou ldpu b lis h is s u e s 2-4 of volu m e 2, and 1-4 ofvolu m e 3. A nne lie s van Brons w ijk gave a s h ortove rvie w of th e pe e r re vie w ing proce s s and toldth em e m b e rs th at th e reareab ou t 20m anu s cripts in th e variou s re vie w ph as e s at th ism om e nt, b u t s tillm ore m anu s cripts are ne e de d.Finance s: A nne lie s van Brons w ijk gave a s h ortove rvie w . Th e s ocie ty h as s u cce s s fu lly got m oreand m ore m e m b e rs e ve ry ye ar, th e totalnu m b e r
H ans -W e rne r W ah l, Ge rm anyR e gionalre pre s e ntative s : O ld m e m b e rs continu e . Th e lis t of nam e s and addre s s e s w illb e pu b lis h e d on th e ISG w e b s ite s . Pos s ib le ch ange scan b e com m u nicate d to th e s e cre tary ge ne ralJan Ek b e rg. E: jan.e k b e rg@ s tak e s .fi6.Future A ctivitie s 2002-2005Sixth W orld Congre s s of Ge ronte ch nology w illbe h e ld on 20-23 M ay 2008 in Pis a, Italy.Th e goal is to ge t m ore m e m b e rs , re gionalch apte rs , indu s trialas s ociate m e m b e rs as w e llas m ore non-profit as s ociate m e m b e rs .7.O th e r Bus ine s sNone8.Ne xt m e e tingNe xt m e e ting w illb e in conju nction of th e ne xtcongre s s in Pis a, in 2008.H e rm an Boum a, Ch airm an of th e m e e tingJan Ek b e rg, Se cre tary of th e m e e tingScuola Supe riore Sant'A nna w ilorganiz e th e2008 confe re nce !Th eScu olaSu pe rioreSant’A nna(SSSA ,h ttp://w w w .s s s u p.it) in Pis a is a pu b lic, re s ide ntialu nive rs ity offe ring opportu nitie s in re s e archand advance d s tu die s in s ocials cie nce s (e conom ics and m anage m e nt, law , political s cie nce ) and e xpe rim e ntals cie nce s (e ngine e ring,m e dicineand agricu ltu ral s cie nce ). Th eSch ool's m is s ion is to e du cate s tu de nts in as tim u lating and active acade m ic e nvironm e ntoffe ring pe rs onalis e du nde rgradu ate tu toring,gradu ate program s (m as te r's and doctoralprogram s ), and continu ing e du cation profe s s ionalcou rs e s . Th e Sch ool participate s in m u ltipleand grow ing inte rnationalne tw ork s of acade m ic and oth e r re s e arch ins titu tions , e xch angingprogram s w ith inte rnationalprofe s s ionalandb u s ine s s as s ociations , indu s try and pu b licage ncie s in variou s re s e arch are as s u ch as ap-Entrance of Polo Sant'Anna Valde ra re s tore d in200257w w w . g e r o n te c h jo u r n a l. n e tnow s u rpas s ing 100. In addition 15 lib rarie sh ave s u b s crib e d to th e jou rnal. Bu t s tillne wm e m b e rs are ne e de d, and alls h ou ld b e active inth e re cru iting of th e m . Re gionalCh apte rs ( 25m e m b e rs ) are b e ing fou nde d in Japan (Eas t A s iare gion), and late r in Italy and th e Nordic re gionTh e Board s u cce e de d in ob taining a loan fromth e H e rm an Bou m a Fou ndation for Ge ronte ch nology to finance part of th e jou rnal is s u e s .Incom e from m e m b e rs h ip fe e s and s u b s criptions doe s not ye t cou nte r th e cos ts of produ cing is s u e s . To ach ie ve a b alance , incom e m u s tincre as e . Th is m ay b e done b y incre as ing th em e m b e rs h ip and th e nu m b e r of s u b s crib ing lib rarie s , or b y s e lling adve rtis e m e nts . A th irdoption is to com b ine th e s e lling of adve rtis e m e nts w ith th e as s ociate m e m b e rs h ip. A s s ociate(corporate ) m e m b e rs h ip (1500 /ye ar) w illth e ninclu de re ce iving th e jou rnaland th e righ t to adve rtis e (h alf a page in e ach is s u e ). M e m b e rs h ipfe e is u nch ange d, 100 /ye ar and 500 /ye arfor non-profit A s s ociate M e m b e rs .ISG A rticle s of A ssociationTh e te xt pu b lis h e d in Ge ronte ch nology M ay2005, Vol3, No 4, (p260-262) w as u pdate d ands u b s e q u e ntly approve d. Th e approve d ve rs ionw illb e pu b lis h e d on th e ISG w e b s ite .(Th e Board h as b e e n e nlarge d, and m e e ts in conne ction w ith th e confe re nce e ve ry 3rd ye ar. Partof it, th e ne w Cou ncil, m e e ts e ve ry ye ar. Th e as s ociate s e cre tary for th e ne xt confe re nce participate s in th e Cou ncil.)ISG Bye law sTh e te xt pu b lis h e d in Ge ronte ch nology D e c2004, Vol3, No 2, (p119 -122) w as u pdate d ands u b s e q u e ntly approve d. Th e approve d ve rs ionw illb e pu b lis h e d on th e ISG w e b s ite .Th e ne w Cou ncilre place s th e old Board.5.Ele ctionsPre s ide nt, H e rm an Bou m a, Ne th e rlands , 2nd te rmEditor-in-ch ie f of th e Jou rnal, A nne lie s (J.E.M .H .)van Brons w ijk , Ne th e rlands , 2nd te rmGe ne rals e cre tary, Jan Ek b e rg, Finland, 2nd te rmTre as ure r, W ie t (L.G.H .) K ore n, Ne th e rlands , 2ndte rmVice -pre s ide nt as organiz e r of th e Nagoya Confe re nce : M its u o Nagam ach i, Japan, 2nd te rmVice -Pre s ide nt as organiz e r of th e ne xt confe re nce : Paolo D ario, ItalyA s s ociate s e cre tary, Giu s e ppe A ne rdi, ItalyO th e r Board M e m b e rs :D ario Bracco, ItalyNe ilCh arne s s , USA , Ch airpe rs on of th e EditorialBoard, 3rd te rmRoge r Cole m an, Unite d K ingdomFrance s co Franch im on, Ne th e rlands , office r foradve rtis e m e nts and oth e r paid ne w s ite m s in th eJou rnalRam on M . Gu tm ann, A rge ntineK az u o Yam ab a, Japan, 2nd te rmA u g u s t 2 0 0 5 , Vo l 4 , N o 1I SG B u s i n e s s
W o r ld N e w sA u g u s t 2 0 0 5 , Vo l 4 , N o 1plie d m e dicalre s e arch , b u s ine s s organis ationand training; b as ic and applie d s cie ntific re s e arch and cu tting-e dge te ch nologicalde ve lopm e nt.w w w . g e r o n te c h jo u r n a l. n e t58Th e re s e arch s tru ctu re of th e Scu ola Su pe rioreSant’A nna is com pos e d of s e ve rallab oratorie sactive in diffe re nt re s e arch fie lds . A m ong th e mw e cite :Th e A R TS Lab (A dvance d Rob otics Te ch nologyand Sys te m Lab oratory) fou nde d in 19 89 , h asb e e n pu rpos e ly e s tab lis h e d w ith th e aim of carrying ou t th e ore ticaland e xpe rim e ntalre s e arch inb iom e dical rob otics and b ioe ngine e ring. M oreth an 45 fu ll-tim e m u ltidis ciplinary re s e arch e rs inve s tigate s cie ntific and te ch nologicalprob lem sas s ociate d w ith th e de ve lopm e nt of com pone ntsand inte grate d s ys te m s for s e ns ing de vice s , ne u ros cie nce , au tom atic control, inform ation te ch nology, te le m atics , b io-e ngine e ring, b io-m e ch atronics , h u m anoid rob otics , b io-m e dicals ignalandm ove m e nt analys is , training m e th odologie s , innovative m ate rials , innovation and te ch nologytrans fe r. Th e A RTS Lab h as activate d a JointLab oratory for Re s e arch on H u m anoid Rob oticsat th e W as e da Unive rs ity of Tok yo, Japan.Th e CR IM Lab (Ce ntre for Re s e arch in M icro-e ngine e ring) w as e s tab lis h e d at th e SSSA w ith th es pe cific m is s ion to pe rform applie d re s e arch onm icro-m e ch atronics m ainly in th e b iom e dicalfie ld, and to im ple m e nt s e rvice activitie s aim e dat prom oting th e indu s trialtak e -u p and e xploitation. Th e CRIM Lab h as m ore th an 40 fu lltim e re s e arch e rs pos s e s s ing inte rdis ciplinary e xpe rtis e ;a variab le nu m b e r of gradu ate s tu de nts are alsoinvolve d.Th e ne w ly b uilt CRIM Lab of th e Scuola, in us es ince 2003Th e E-Z Lab , Re s e arch Ce ntre on Te ch nologyand Su pport Se rvice s to Longe vity, e s tab lis h e din 2001, inte grate s e xpe rtis e s in b ioe ngine e ring,s ocial and e conom ic s cie nce s , h u m an factors ,m ark e t analys is , m e dicine and law and prom ote sproje ct and cu ltu ralinitiative s aim e d at s u pporting th e ne e ds of s e nior citiz e ns w ith th e indu s trialinnovation opportu nitie s re late d to longe vity.Variou s re s e arch proje cts h ave b e e n carrie d ou tin th is fram e . Th e y inclu de pe rs onalcare facilitie s conform ing to th e variab le profile of olde r orim paire d u s e rs and inte grate d in a dom otic ne tw ork , th e s tu dy of active pros th e tic am b ie nts toim prove th e s afe ty and th e q u ality of life of m ode rate cognitive ly im paire d facilitating th e ir livingat h om e , w h ile ligh te ning th e b u rde n of care give rs . Particu lar atte ntion is de vote d to th e de ve lopm e nt of m e ch atronic and rob otic s ys te m sfor th e com pre h e ns ion of th e m odification ofth e m otor control s trate gie s indu ce d b y th eaging proce s s and to as s e s s in u ns tru ctu re de nvironm e nt th e pe rform ance of s e nior citiz e ns .A n im portant proje ct (Pe ccioli for th e Elde rly)h as b e e n carrie d ou t in th e las t te n ye ars toge th e r w ith th e M u nicipality of Pe ccioli (a s m allvillage ne ar Pis a), le ading to a h igh ly innovativene tw ork of s ocialand h e alth care s e rvice s for th eelde rly, inclu ding a h igh -te ch nu rs ing h om e .It w illb e cle ar from th e ab ove th at th e Scu ola Su pe riore Sant'A nna is w e lle q u ippe d to organiz eth e ne xt inte rnational ISG Confe re nce as h asb e e n s tipu late d b y th e Ge ne ralA s s e m b ly of th eISG in Nagoya in M ay th is ye ar.Paolo D ario Ph D , Scu ola Su pe riore Sant'A nna,Pis a, ItalyE: dario@ s s s up.itW O R LDNEW SA rge ntine an Initiative to Fos te r Ne w Te ch nology for O lde r Pe rs onsIn 2003, th e Gove rnm e nt of A rge ntina ide ntifie das a nationalpriority th e infras tru ctu re cre ationfor indu s trialde ve lopm e nt of te ch nologicalaidsfor olde r citiz e ns . Th e NationalIns titu te for Indu s trialTe ch nology –INTI (w w w .inti.gov.ar ), th ecou ntry's officials tandards b ody and nationw idene tw ork of R& D ce ntre s , w as m andate d w ith th ee s tab lis h m e nt of a re s e arch and de ve lopm e ntand indu s try liais on u nit to ach ie ve th is s trate gicgoal.Th e Te ch nology for Se rving th e Elde rly R& D program m e , w h ich is s ch e du le d to b e gin ope rationse arly in 2005, is to b e an inte rface b e tw e e n indu s try (particu larly SM Es ) and INTI's ne tw ork ofs pe cialty lab oratorie s (inclu ding m e ch anicale ngine e ring, e le ctronics , m ate rials s cie nce , de s ign,and h u m an factors ). SM Es aim ing to de ve lopne w as s is tive produ cts for th e 3rd age m ark e t,but lack ing th e facilitie s or k now -h ow for inh ou s e de ve lopm e nt, can apply to INTI for re s e arch and produ ct de ve lopm e nt to b e pe rform e d on th e ir b e h alf at INTI lab oratorie s , re s ulting in advance d prototype s for m ark e t te s ting. In Nove m b e r 2004, INTI h e ld in Bu e nosA ire s th e ‘Firs t Sym pos iu m on Te ch nology in th eSe rvice of O lde r Pe ople ’. O ve r 300 de le gate s ,
W o r ld N e w sLaw re nce Norm ieE: LR Norm ie @ jdc.org.ilFICD A T: A Fe s tival of Inte rnational Confe re nce s on D is ab ility, A ging, and Te ch nologyTh is s m orgas b ord of profe s s ionalm e e tings onage ing is s u e s is to tak e place concu rre ntly inToronto du ring th e pe riod Ju ne 16-19 , 2007.Th e fou r confe re nce th e m e s are (i) Grow ingolde r w ith a dis ab ility; (ii) Te ch nology andA ging, (iii) A dvance s in ne u ro-re h ab ilitation, and(iv) Care give rs and e s s e ntial partne rs in care .Unde r th e ae gis of FICD A T, th e 2nd Inte rnationalConfe re nce on Te ch nology and A ging w ille x-Info: w w w .ficdat.caSIVA Portalof th e Italian Gove rnm e ntA w e alth of inform ation on inde pe nde nt living ins pite of ph ys icalre s trictions is availab le on th eSIVA portalof th e Italian gove rnm e nt on as s is tive te ch nology and inde pe nde nt living. Th e s iteprovide s gu idance on as s is tive te ch nologie s forinde pe nde nce , q u ality of life and participation ins ocie ty of pe rs ons w ith dis ab ilitie s . Th e portalcontains b oth datab as e s and oth e r s e rvice s fore nd u s e rs , profe s s ional and re s e arch e r. It inclu de s a ne w s s e ction and a foru m . Th e datab as e s m ay b e s e arch e d b y b oth Englis h and Italian k e y w ords .Info: h ttp://s iva.w e lfare .gov.it/ENG/e -Inclus ion: Callfor propos alsTw e nty-nine m illion e u ros are to b e allocate d tos h are d cos t collab orative proje cts w ith in th e e -Inclu s ion initiative - part of th e Eu rope an Com m is s ion's 6th Fram e w ork Program m e (th e m aticare a: Inform ation Socie ty Te ch nologie s ). Propos als w illb e acce pte d u ntilSe pte m b e r 21, 2005.Th e tw o prioritie s of th e cu rre nt callare : (i) Tom ains tre am acce s s ib ility in cons u m e r goods ands e rvice s , inclu ding pu b lic s e rvice s th rou gh applie d re s e arch and de ve lopm e nt of advance dte ch nologie s ; Th is w illh e lp e ns u re e q u alacce s s ,inde pe nde nt living and participation for allinth e Inform ation Socie ty; (ii) To de ve lop ne xt ge ne ration as s is tive s ys te m s th at e m pow e r pe rs onsw ith (in particu lar cognitive ) dis ab ilitie s andA u g u s t 2 0 0 5 , Vo l 4 , N o 1plore h ow te ch nologicaladvance s can contrib u teto a pos itive q u ality of life as w e age . Th e confe re nce w illprovide an opportu nity for re s e arch e rs ,de s igne rs , policy m ak e rs and cons u m e rs topre s e nt and le arn ab ou t ne w and innovative te ch nologie s b e ing de ve lope d to h e lp olde r adu ltsparticipate fu lly in th e ir dailylive s . Topics of inte re s t w illinclu de th e de s ign and u s e of as s is tive te ch nology, s m art h om e s and inte llige nt s ys te m s , te ch nology for care giving, im pact and ou tcom e s of te ch nology on q u ality of life , andpolicy and le gis lative is s u e s , as w e llas topics re late d to s afe ty and pe rform ance s tandards forne w te ch nologie s . A ccording to confe re nce coch air D r. Ge off Fe rnie , th e Fe s tivalis a conce ptth at w illallow fou r re ally s ignificant confe re nce sto b e h e ld in an e nvironm e nt in w h ich th e re w illb e opportu nitie s for gre ate r inte raction b e tw e e nth e confe re nce de le gate s , w ith e conom y of s calefor confe re nce adm inis tration."It look s asth ou gh th is is b e com ing q u ite a b ig e ve nt",Fe rnie told Ge ronte ch nology Jou rnal, "and s e ve ralorganiz ations are now partne ring w ith individu alconfe re nce s or are arranging e ve nts aspre - or pos t-fe s tivalactivitie s ."59w w w . g e r o n te c h jo u r n a l. n e tfrom A rge ntina, Paragu ay, and Uru gu ay, atte nde d th e e ve nt;th e y re pre s e nte d th e e ntire profe s s ionals pe ctru m of age ing is s u e s , inclu de d e xpe rts in ge rontology, ge riatrics , cardiology, ne u rology, re h ab ilitation e ngine e ring, and ins titu tionalcare . A cons ide rab le nu m b e r of SM E re pre s e ntative and private inve ntors (inclu ding an officialof th e NationalA s s ociation of Inve ntors ) als o participate d; m any of w h om are e age r to de ve lopand m ark e t ne w te ch nologicalprodu cts for th e3rd-age m ark e t. Inte rnationalk e y note s pe ak e rs , invite d from th e USA and Is rae l, de s crib e dth e ir re s pe ctive organis ations ' e xpe rie nce s inte ch nology re s e arch and de ve lopm e nt for th e b e ne fit of olde r pe ople . D u ring th e inte ns ive tw oday m e e ting, th irty pape rs w e re pre s e nte d, cove ring a w ide range of is s u e s , inclu ding m e dical,e conom ic, ps ych os ocial, produ ct e ngine e ringand de s ign, and policy. In paralle lw ith th e s ym pos iu m and program m e lau nch , INTI h as pu b lis h e d on its w e b s ite th re e catalogu e s in Spanis h : a catalogu e of as s is tive and re h ab ilitativeprodu cts de ve lope d and m anu factu re d b y A rge ntine ancom panie s(w w w .inti.gov.ar/te rce rae dad/pdf /Catalogo produ ctos 1.pdf); a ge ne ralcom pe ndiu m of com m e rcially availab le as s is tivede vice s(w w w .inti.gov.ar/te rce rae dad/pdf/Catalogo -ayu das 2.pdf); andas h ow cas e catalogu e of w ork b y a tale nte d te amof you ng indu s trialde s igne rs w h o w e re invite db y INTI to cre ate prototype as s is tive produ ctsfordis playdu ringth es ym pos iu m(w w w .inti.gov.ar/te rce rae dad/pdf/Catalogos de s arrollo3.pdf) . Priz e s w e re aw arde d for th e b e s tde s igns . A lth ou gh s e ve ralof th e s e produ ct ide asalre ady h ave com m e rcially availab le cou nte rparts , th e cre ative ou tpu t of th e grou p de m ons trate s A rge ntina's de s ign tale nt at th e dis pos alof com panie s w is h ing to e nte r th is nas ce ntm ark e t s e ctor.A b ook of th e s ym pos iu m pre s e ntations is e
m ent. Rogers and Fisk introduce th e general topic with a com preh ensive review of wh ere tech - nology fails to be usable and wh at can be done . in th e population, of young and older people alik e; a point forcefully em ph asiz ed by Ch ar-ness. Sch ieber provides an adm irably broad review of th e effect of aging on vision, h earing .
