Ageing and technology: perspectives from the social sciences

The booming increase of the senior population has become a social phenomenon and a challenge to our societies, and technological advances have undoubtedly contributed to improve the lives of elderly citizens in numerous aspects. In current debates on technology, however, the »human factor« is often largely ignored. The ageing individual is rather seen as a malfunctioning machine whose deficiencies must be diagnosed or as a set of limitations to be overcome by means of technological devices. This volume aims at focusing on the perspective of human beings deriving from the development and use of technology: this change of perspective - taking the human being and not technology first - may help us to become more sensitive to the ambivalences involved in the interaction between humans and technology, as well as to adapt technologies to the people that created the need for its existence, thus contributing to improve the quality of life of senior citizens.

Frontmatter 1 Table of Contents 5 All that Glitters is not Silver - Technologies for the Elderly in Context. Introduction 9 Motives of the Elderly for the Use of Technology in their Daily Lives 27 An Exploration of Mobile Telephony Non-use among Older People 47 Older Women on the Game: Understanding Digital Game Perspectives from an Ageing Cohort 67 Social Inclusion of Elderly People in Rural Areas by Social and Technological Mechanisms 93 Skripting Age - The Negotiation of Age and Aging in Ambient Assisted Living 121 Making Space for Ageing: Embedding Social and Psychological Needs of Older People into Smart Home Technology 141 Seeing Again. Dementia, Personhood and Technology 163 Enabling a Mobile and Independent Way of Life for People with Dementia - Needsoriented Technology Development 183 Emotional Robotics in the Care of Older People: A Comparison of Research Findings of PARO- and PLEO-Interventions in Care Homes from Australia, Germany and the UK 205 Navigating the European Landscape of Ageing and ICT: Policy, Governance, and the Role of Ethics 227 Ageing and Technology Decision-making: A Framework for Assessing Uncertainty 257 Aging and Technology: What is the Take Home Message for Newspapers Readers 271 Towards an Ageless Society: Assessing a Transhumanist Programme 291 Focusing on the Human: Interdisciplinary Reflections on Ageing and Technology 311 List of Authors 335