2.2. A trend among the user population: ageing - gerontechnology

The number of the elderly has increased notably in all industrialised countries. Unfortunately, the ageing population will have to cope with the associated progressive loss of physiological capabilities, which may dramatically reduce individuals" ability to participate in everyday activities. This decrease in capabilities and mobility tends to confine the elderly and most of their activities to their homes (Meindl & Freivalds 1992). The time spent at home is hence increasing, as are also the demands on home conditions. Knowledge about human body size is important, but not alone sufficient for the ergonomic design of home facilities for the elderly. Information is also needed about functional capabilities, mobility, abilities or limitations to perform certain tasks as a function of changes in biomechanical, physiological, psychological and mental characteristics and in attitudes and behaviour (Kelly & Kroemer 1990).

There is a need for assistive equipment for the elderly and the disabled to allow them to live independently at home. Assistive equipment aids a person in the performance of the activities of daily living, such as dressing (sock pullers), bathing, preparation of meals, and personal locomotion (wheelchairs, crutches) (Bogner 1998). Equipment that is not designed for actual users is likely to be difficult to use and induce errors. For example, errors in using equipment in rehabilitation and health care may have dire consequences ranging from not accomplishing the intended goal to causing injury and death (Bogner 1998). Constraints of daily living were assessed in focus group interviews of healthy, active adults aged 65 to 88 in Georgia (Rogers et al. 1998). More than half the problems reported had the potential to be improved by human factors intervention. Moreover, almost all of the cognitive challenges were amenable to human factors intervention.

The users of assistive equipment are far more diverse than the quite homogeneous military population, which is often used in a source of anthropometric data. Ageing requires an additional consideration of age differences in both the internal and the external aspects of the environment that influences the interface (Bouma 1992, Fozard 1994). Differential exposure to diseases, environmental pollutants, lifestyle choices, and experiences with the built human-made environment combines with genetic differences to make each person’s ageing a very individual experience. There is a need for both universal design and ergonomics-for-one. Universal design is reflected in equipment developed for disabilities that are common (Bogner 1998). Such equipment is adjustable to individual needs. Designing equipment for a given individual is referred to as ergonomics-for-one. Some general and specific guidelines for design-for-all products and services have been gathered by, for example, Hyppönen (1999).

Gerontechnology is based on studies of ageing and technology for the benefit of preferred living and working environments and adapted medical care for the elderly and caregivers (Vercruyssen et al. 1996). The term ‘gerontechnology’ is a composite of gerontology, i.e. the scientific study of ageing, and technology, i.e. the development and application of physical products, environments and services. As a discipline, gerontechnology is broader than ergonomics and ageing insofar as it considers how technology oriented toward ageing and aged people should be developed, dispersed and distributed (Bouma 1992, Fozard 1994). The five goals of research in gerontechnology are to provide technology to (Fozard 1997): (1) improve the way in which ageing is studied; (2) prevent the effects of declines in strength, flexibility, endurance and perceptual and cognitive abilities commonly associated with ageing; (3) enhance the performance of the new roles (opportunities) provided by ageing; (4) compensate for the declining capabilities (challenges) of ageing; and (5) assist caregivers.

In gerontechnology, the needs of people are identified and articulated in two ways in the stream of events involved in technology development and dispersal. The first is feedback, i.e. evaluations by people concerning the available technology. Feedback requires an evaluation by users that goes beyond the volume of sales, which is the most common criterion. The second is feedforward, i.e. the identification of needs based on involvement by people in the developmental process itself – needs and preferences are identified by serving in focus groups or as evaluators of prototypes (Fozard 1997).