Technology innovation for an aging society : blending research, public and private sectors

This volume originated with a workshop held in Vancouver immediately prior to the 1995 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology. A group of individuals from the public policy, corporate and research sectors were invited to come together to explore issues relating to the development and market expansion of new technologies designed to enhance the health and quality of life of 'at risk' seniors. Among topics of concern were how to reconcile market imperatives with social and public policy agendas; how to effectively research and market technology to older persons; how to ensure consumer protection without destroying producers' incentives for innovation, and generally, how to increase the availability, affordability, and use of appropriately designed technology by and for the benefit of seniors. The workshop featured more than a dozen outstanding speakers from Canada, the United States and Europe. Eight of them accepted an invitation to expand their workshop remarks into formal written form - the chapters that follow this introduction are the result.TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Introduction: Technology, Aging and Disability in Canada / Gloria Gutman; 2. Bringing the Product from the Design Concept to the Marketplace / Geoff Fernie; 3. How to Effectively Research and Market Technology to Older People / Margaret Wylde; 4. Technological Approaches to Management of 'Problem' Behaviours in Home and Institutional Settings / Gloria Gutman; 5. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Video-based Technology to Understand Behaviour Problems in Long Term Care Settings / Bettye Rose Connell; 6. Environmental Design: Enabling Technology for an Aging Society / Gary Scott Danford and Edward Steinfeld; 7 Stair Safety and Accessibility: Standards Development in the Building and Housing Industry / Jake Pauls; 8. Blending Research, Private and Public Sector Agendas in the Information Economy / Satya Brink; 9. TIDE - Technology for the Integration of Disabled and Elderly People: A European Model for Research and Development in Assistive Technology / Rosalyn Moran and Egidio Ballabio.