Introduction To Control System Technology Bateson Pdf Download

The needs of older adults to adapt to changes in order to actively participate in their everyday lives, invoke pressures as well as imperatives. Older adults experience one such an imperative in learning how to use technology in their daily lives (Russell, 2007). They have also been shown to be interested and willing to use new technologies (Czaja & Lee, 2008). In the context of their environment, older adults are faced with learning to use a range of digital devices in order to realise the opportunities and enjoyment that a technology-dense society offers and further, to experience the sense of empowerment, control and choice, together with an improved sense of well-being, that comes with technology use (Center for Health Promotion, 2008). The subsequent sense of social inclusion, community participation and enablement produced is, however, balanced by the barriers that exist in learning to use and using digital technologies. These barriers, including a lack of familiarity and a lack of training with technology, are thought to create frustrations for the older population (Czaja & Lee). Such skills as dexterity with small digital devices, process skills in an unfamiliar technological environment, conceptual skills in using different platforms and understanding the jargon, all contribute to the level of complexity for older adults in learning to use technologies.

It is important that the experience of being older is considered an essential dimension of the adoption and use of technology devices and appliances. There is a real need for older people to be supported in their adoption of the new technologies. In many cases, such as in the introduction of digital TV, technical and ongoing support is an essential part of the use of the new technology for older people. Older people tend to need more practice, more on-hand support in trouble-shooting and re-enforcement of procedural knowledge (Czaja et al., 2006; Russell, 2005; Seals et al., 2008). In general, older adults would need technical and professional assistance and those with impairments would need even greater professional assistance with the use of technologies designed to improve their quality of life and their ability to interact with their communities and environments (Mahmood et al., 2008).

Given that decisions regarding health and safety in laterlife are often centred within the family, it would seem logical that adult children would be influential in the acceptance and adoption of technologies designed to improve or increase health and safety in the home: "As parents become elderly and frail, their children play an increasingly prominent role in advising and decision-making" (Coughlin et al., 2009, p. 2). The authors of this research make the point that adult children of the elderly are from a generation that has used technology to their advantage 'in the home, workplace and vehicle' and are more likely than their parents to appreciate the benefits of technology (Coughlin et al., p. 2). However, Coughlin et al. argue that "Both parents and adult children have a shared interest in independence and well-being" (p. 2). For older people this interest may be about empowerment, choice and control in their lives. For the younger generation it may be concern for the safety, security and quality of life for their elders. 2b1af7f3a8