Technology and Fun for a Happy Old Age
The past 20 years have seen a rise in the development and production of technologies to support older people. These have typically focused on issues related to safety and security and to reduce the risk of hospitalization (e.g. fall detection devices). De
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Technology and Fun for a Happy Old Age Arlene Astell
10.1
Introduction
The past 20 years have seen a rise in the development and production of technologies to support older people. These have typically focused on issues related to safety and security and to reduce the risk of hospitalization (e.g., fall detection devices). Despite their undoubted importance, it could be argued that these aspects of aging have received more attention than is warranted and as a consequence have unduly influenced the direction of technology development for the aging population. While much less attention has been paid to technology to support people to live well and experience the things that make life worth living, the evidence that is available suggests that technology can provide people with meaningful and engaging activities that are stimulating, enjoyable, and fun. This chapter provides a brief examination of this evidence for the aging population in general and then considers the application of technology for that sector of the aging population who are living with dementia. The context is provided by positive psychology, an approach to human behavior that seeks to promote the good things in life.
10.2
Positive Psychology
While most people, whatever their age, are concerned with staying safe and well, there is more to life than safety and security. In his oft-cited Hierarchy of Needs, Maslow (1943) identified meeting our safety needs as an important but very basic human need, second only to satisfying our physical needs such as hunger and thirst. A. Astell (*) CATCH (Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare), School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 4DA, UK e-mail: [email protected]
A. Sixsmith and G. Gutman (eds.), Technologies for Active Aging, International Perspectives on Aging, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8348-0_10, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
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However, central to Maslow’s theory of human motivation was the belief that humans seek to fulfill higher level, more complex psychological needs, such as the need for satisfying relationships, achievement, and the respect of others. His positive theory was predicated on seeing the person as a whole within the environment in which they operate and was primarily concerned with identifying and exploring those drivers of human behavior that go beyond meeting our basic survival needs. While the resonance and endurance of Maslow’s ideas are easy to find in writings and innovation across a wide range of fields in human creativity over the past 70 years, it is more difficult to see his influence in attitudes towards aging and, specifically, in meeting people’s needs for a happy and successful later life. This is particularly so in the arena of technology development, which, as indicated above, has tended to emphasize the safety of older people, with developments such as alarm pendants that people wear and should press if they have a fall or the installation of unobtrusive or passive sensors
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