Pearlman, J., R. A. Cooper, E. Zipfel, R. Cooper, and M. McCartney. 2006. Towards the development of an effective technology transfer model of wheelchairs to developing countries. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology 1(1-2):103-110.

Talbot, L. A., J. M. Gaines, T. N. Huynh, and E. J. Metter. 2003. A home-based pedometer-driven walking program to increase physical activity in older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee: A preliminary study. Journal of the American Geriatric Society 51(3):387-392.

Trudel, T. M., W. W. Tryon, and C. M. Purdum. 1998. Awareness of disability and long-term outcome after traumatic brain injury. Rehabilitation Psychology 43(4):267-281.

Winters, J. M. 2006. Future possibilities for interface technologies that enhance universal access to health care devices and services. In Medical Instrumentation: Accessibility and Usability Considerations, 1st ed., eds. J. M. Winters and M. F. Story, pp. 321-339. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, CRC Press.

Rewritten by Noah Barron, Graduate Journalism Student, University of Southern California

(As stated in the preface, “Some groups decided to refine or redefine their problems based on their experiences.” This Task Group Description was rewritten by Noah Barron to reflect Group A’s decision to redefine the challenge at hand.)

Imagine for a moment the senior citizen of the future. She lives in a smart home that’s tailored to her every need, engineered to keep her healthy, active, and independent. Sensors tuned to her specific biometrics read her mood and whereabouts. The flooring is ready to dissolve into a cushioning gel in case she takes a potentially hip-shattering fall. The appliances wirelessly talk to one another to cook her meals and automatically order more milk when she’s running low.

All of these technological marvels serve a common purpose: to keep our senior independent. A residence like the one above would allow her to live on her own longer and delay institutionalization, perhaps indefinitely. Once a person is committed to nursing care, health and mental aptitude tend to rapidly decay. Staying out of that system and aging in place seems to be the key to living longer, healthier lives, explain senescence experts who study the mechanics of advanced-age living.

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Conference Summary (1-6)

Enhancing the Functional Status of the Future Elderly (7-16)

Design New Research Paradigms to Assess Healthspan, Its Enhancement, and Prolongation in Experimental Research Animals (17-28)

Effects of Exercise on Human Healthspan (29-40)

The Relationship Between Demographic Mortality Rates, Aging, and Functional Human Healthspan (41-48)

Changes in Social Contexts to Enhance Functional Status of the Elderly (49-56)

Develop Technological Interventions to Overcome Barriers to Independence and Community Participation (57-72)

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Aging: The Roles of Nature, Nurture, and Chance in the Maintenance of Human Healthspan (73-92)

Inflammation's Effects on Aging (93-100)

Appendixes (101-102)

Preconference Webcast Tutorials (103-106)

Agenda (107-112)

Participants (113-126)