Promoting Independence through New Technology
05 March 2008
Promoting Independence through New Technology
A workshop to explore the implications of the latest developments in the application of information technology to support older people and disabled people. It will include presentations on new and proposed systems to support people in their own homes and neighbourhoods, the design of age-friendly computer interfaces and much more.
Hosted by: SPARC and School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading
Sponsored by: SPARC
Event organisers:
Dr Rachel McCrindle, School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading
Verity Smith, SPARC Coordinator
Date: 05 March 2008
Venue:
Seminar Room 1, BHH
Black Horse House
The University of Reading
Whiteknights
PO Box 217
READING
Berkshire
RG6 6AH
United Kingdom
This workshop is now full and has a long waiting list.
This is a special workshop, one in a series to be organised by SPARC, to promote the value of scientific ageing-related research for older people and opportunities for further research. The workshop will cover a variety of developments which are contributing to the development of new technologies to help older people maintain good health and social interaction in old age, and to assist with recovery and rehabilitation from illness or accident.
Outline: The workshop will bring together leading-edge researchers and professionals from a range of backgrounds. They will present some of the latest advances in technologies to improve the independence and well being of older people and our understanding of how older people view technological developments. The workshop will cover developments which assist older people to use computers, emergent technologies for encouraging even very frail people to keep active physically and mentally engaged and other technologies for facilitating the independence of people with metal illness. The feasibility of such technology and the older person’s perspective, their needs and aspirations will also be considered in some detail. So too will current developments to ensure that the most promising and helpful technologies are put into practice.
SPARC (Strategic Promotion of Ageing Research Capacity) www.sparc.ac.uk is funded by EPSRC and BBSRC. It was established in 2005 to extend the previous remit of the EQUAL Network. SPARC is designed specifically to provide a platform, publicity and policy representation for existing researchers and to encourage newcomers into ageing research. A key aspect of its activities is working in partnership with the users of research - older people and those organisations which represent the interests of older people and which provide older people and their carers with services, advice and other support. As well as organising workshops SPARC is providing 34 pump-priming awards to newcomers to ageing research in the fields of design, engineering and biology.
The School of Systems Engineering, The University of Reading, has a unique mix of skills in Information Technology, Computer Science, Communications, Feedback and Control. It has six research groups most of which have a history of involvement with issues relating to disability and ageing, in some cases this has been extensive::
Ambient & Pervasive Intelligence Research Group
Cybernetic Intelligence Research Group
Informatics Research Group
Instrumentation & Signal Processing Research Group
Interactive Systems Research Research Group
Parallel Emergent & Distributed Architectures Laboratory.
The workshop will be of interest to a wide range of practitioners and policy makers, health and social care practitioners, employers, charitable and government bodies concerned with the needs of older people, as well as researchers and academics from engineering, biological, social science, medical and health care disciplines. Older people are especially welcome at this workshop.
There is no charge for attendance just an enthusiasm and interest in extending the quality of life of older people through informed user-focused research and its application. Registration is required to book a place, please refer to the registration page.
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