Assistive Technologies

Assistive Technologies include a wide range of devices and equipment that are used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Assistive technologies promote independence as they compensate for sensory, physical, and cognitive impairments, and promote safety for vulnerable individuals as they mitigate, detect and report health hazards.

Examples range from active technologies that directly interact with the user to support ADLs such as wheelchairs and large-button cellphones, to more passive systems such as computer controlled “smart homes” that provide support for persons with substantial cognitive impairment through the use of motion sensors and other passive data.

As assistive technologies integrate with other remote devices and home monitoring equipment they will present an opportunity to gather important information about the level of activity of a frail elder. It will be critical to design technologies that are unobtrusive and/or passive.