Developing low-tech assistive technology to support daily activities for older people
K. Yasuda, M. Nakamura, S. Chen
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AbstractCan we design technological innovations that support older people without depending on the Internet? Can these technologies be designed with less reliance on electricity or IT sources (Kort, 2024)? Older people, especially those with impaired memory, cannot remember how to use electrical or IT tools. Moreover, they gradually lose the ability to use such tools, which have fundamental limitations for them (Yasuda, 2022). Products without electric power supply are classified as Low-Tech Assistive Technology (AT; Yasuda, 2022). Commercially available electronic and ICT products are categorized as Middle-Tech AT. An advantage of Low-Tech ATs is that they can be used intuitively (Hickey & Bourgeois, 2018). They are usable without much training and/or reading manuals, and easy to maintain. Middle- or High-Tech ATs alone cannot support every aspect of older people’s daily lives. Although Low-Tech ATs are indispensable for supporting older people, they have been mostly overlooked. Exceptionally, Bourgeois (2014) introduced memory and communication aids for persons with severe dementia. Yasuda (2022) has created various Low-Tech ATs that could be applied to people with MCI and mild dementia. We introduce some Low-Tech ATs.Keywords: low tech, middle tech, assistive technology, MCI, dementia
K. Yasuda, M. Nakamura, S. Chen (2024). Developing low-tech assistive technology to support daily activities for older people. Gerontechnology, 23(2), 1-1
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2024.23.s.1150.opp