Technology, Innovation, and Developing a NexGen Aging Services Workforce

Abstract

Over the last few decades, the world of high-tech has “discovered” aging, and those in the field of aging have discovered technology. Moving beyond the extraordinary achievements that have been made in assistive devices, engineers and other technologists are now developing countless new applications and systems to improve the quality of life of older adults and reduce the burden on caregivers. To many, in engineering-related fields, aging is a series of discrete problems that can be solved with the appropriate application of technology—a reminder to take a medication, a sensor to detect a fall, or a camera to enable social interaction. From “smart” t-shirts, toasters, and toilets to home service robots and autonomous vehicles, as well as countless systems to monitor, manage, and motivate healthy behaviors, a wealth of inventions is being developed that has the potential to change aging as we know it. In parallel to this technological progress, demographic transition is creating a growing market for products and services as well as an older and increasingly influential electorate. Consequently, the private sector is devoting unprecedented attention to aging as a business opportunity. Bosch, General Electric, Intel, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, Toyota, and nearly all pharmaceutical companies see the aging population as a key determinant of their future strategies and opportunities. Policymakers and aging services professionals, meanwhile, are working to deliver improvements in aging by expanding or tweaking current policies and services to meet the needs of an ever-growing number of older people.