Pervasive computing research on aging, disability and independence

As we age, we experience normal declines in vision, hearing, cognition, and movement. We also accumulate chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart and circulatory disorders, glaucoma, and tinnitus. The cost of home health services for older persons with disabilities is increasing with the rapidly growing elder population. There is a significant need today to innovate cost-effective ways to help elders maintain their independence, and at the same time, reduce caregiver burden. The impressive wireless and portable technologies we have today and the emerging robotics, human computer interactions and mobile computing paradigms offer a unique and real opportunity for us to innovate pervasive applications and environments designed to support the elderly. Such environments enable cost-effective self-care and maintain a higher quality of life and independence for our oldest population. In this session of "Internet to Support Social Welfare", we review the outcomes of the International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence (ICADI) which is a major effort to create a world-wide, cross-disciplinary community of researchers and practitioners from several fields of science, engineering, rehabilitation and gerontology.