By 2050, globally one in six people will be aged 65 or older. Given the limited number and escalating cost of institutional care spaces, the option of institutionalization becomes less and less accessible for middle- and lower-class elderly people and their families. It then becomes essential to develop alternatives that promote aging in place, including gerontechnologies.
Based on this observation, Dr. Alexander Moreno, a clinical researcher associated with CRIUGM and associate professor at the University of Montreal, Dr. Sumi Helal of the University of Bologna (Italy), Dr. Henk Herman Nap, professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) and Dr. Gloria M. Gutman of Simon Fraser University (Canada) have joined forces to produce a Special Issue of the journal Frontiers in Psychology on the use of gerontechnology to support aging in place. More specifically, this issue highlights international research that provides empirical information on the design, effectiveness and adoption of existing and new gerontechnologies over the last decade.
In recent years, gerontechnologies have emerged as a complement to traditional care models, but above all as a response to the objectives of governments and families around the world to reduce institutionalization. Indeed, gerontechnologies are useful tools for both older adults and their, family caregivers. In the first case, they provide assistance to older adults facing loss of autonomy or independence and can facilitate the maintenance of social relationships. In the second case, they support family caregivers by alleviating some of the tasks and difficulties of daily life.
The set of nine research articles explore gerontechnology quality standards, such as ease of use or effectiveness. The set also addresses the quality of research in gerontechnology. In addition, it highlights several innovations developed around the world to support elderly people struggling with dementia or isolation. From a research and knowledge transfer perspective, this Special Issue will allow scientists interested in the co-development of innovative technologies with elderly people to better lead their design and creation efforts. The team of international experts also emphasizes in the editorial that this information will be useful to policy-makers and governments to ensure that gerontechnologies designed in the future have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of their users.