Seminar : Aging in Place by Dr Wendy A. Rogers

Aging in Place: Benefits, Understanding User Needs, and Effects of Reliability of Home Automation.

By Dr Wendy A. Rogers

Nanyang Technological University
LT12*
8th December 2006
10-11am

(* LT 12 is located in the North Spine. From Car Park A, take either lift N1 or N2 to
level 4. It is between Block N2 and School of CEE.)



Here's an excerpt:
"Imagine if your home were 'aware' of your activities, so that it might help you remember what it was you went into the kitchen for, or whether the visitor at the front door is someone you know, or even what the proper procedure is for performing a recently learned home medical procedure. An aware home is not from the world of science fiction -- indeed, it is within the realm of science. Such technological developments have the potential to enable older adults to maintain their functional independence and to 'age-in-place.' An aware home can provide support in numerous ways including:
- alerting the person to an emergency or hazardous situation (e.g. reduced movements);
- providing information about daily activities and long-term trends, and changes therein (e.g. reduced movements);
- providing support for daily activities such as medication monitoring or use of medical technologies;
- and also supporting social communication with family and friends.

An innovative research program at Georgia Institute of Technology is focused on developing psychological and computer science to support home activities, especially for older adults. Aware home technology has tremendous potential to enhance the safety and well-being of older adults; because of the advanced technology, there are public policy implications, and issues in understanding user needs and attitudes, and on reliability of home automation."

About Wendy:

Wendy A. Rogers is Professor in the School of Psychology at Georgia Institute of Technology. She received her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth, and her M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1991) from Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to returning to Georgia Tech for her current position, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Memphis (1991-1994) and the University of Georgia (1994-1998).

Her research interests include skill acquisition, human factors, training, and cognitive aging. She is the Co-Director of the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory ( www.hfaging.org) which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging) as part of the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE www.create-center.org), and by a National Science Foundation grant entitled "The Aware Home: Sustaining the Quality of Life for an Aging Population" ( www.awarehome.gatech.edu).

Dr. Rogers has published extensively in the field of human factors and cognitive aging. She is a fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) and of the American Psychological Association (APA). She is a recipient of the Franklin V. Taylor Award for Outstanding Contribution to Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology and the Retirement Research Foundation Mentorship Award. She is a past-president of APA Division 21 (Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology) and HFES.

For additional information:
Please contact Prof Martin Helander martin@ntu.edu.sg