Extract

During a research encounter I asked a ninety-year-old retired engineer, Mr. M, who for many years had been volunteering in a longitudinal healthy aging study, “would you use a fitness watch that measured your steps and active time?” He quickly replied, “why would I need that?” And then with a sly smile, added, “I’m still good at math. When I go for my daily walk, I note the time on my old watch and then when I return, I note the time again. A little subtraction tells me that I’ve been out for my usual hour constitutional.”

This brief exchange encapsulates many of the key reasons why the adoption of various contemporary technologies—collectively called pervasive computing technologies (the ecosystem of technologies including sensors, mobile devices, and wireless communications) that harnesses the power of embedding computational capability into everyday life—by the aging population has been slow. This paper examines the challenges in this adoption phenomenon, especially in light of popular interest in harnessing technology in the service of helping to maintain health and wellness.

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