iTutorials for the Aid to Mild Cognitively Impaired Elderly Population in their Preferred Environment

In the context of Assistive Technologies, the present work addresses the improvement and greater adaptability of iTutorials, a supportive system which is intended to provide in-home support to cognitively impaired older adults in the performance of Activities of Daily Living

Estado del conocimiento normativo sobre las condiciones de construcción y de acondicionamiento ambiental para residencias asistidas

This Final Project is a collection of data, parameters and recommendations about the requirements for an assisted living residence have the required comfort. This has been compiled taking into account the data, information and statistics about the global aging population which will have a growth of 11% to 22% data between 2000 and 2050. In exact numbers, it will rise from 605 million to 2 billion over the course of half a century. Given this information it is necessary to know the requirements and to have a clear and accurate guide that show us how the building elements should be analyzed: facings, flooring and ceilings, also the environmental requirements, as: the acoustic, the climate and the lighting and at the same time understand how the technology is and will continue to influence to make them more acceptable to the needs of this particular group of human beings with exact and specific needs such as the elderly.Este proyecto de Fin de Máster es una recopilación de datos, parámetros y recomendaciones acerca de los requisitos necesarios para que una residencia asistida posea el confort requerido , tomando en cuenta los datos, informaciones y estadísticas acerca de la población mundial de envejecientes la cual va a tener un crecimiento de un 11% a un 22% datos entre el 2000 y 2050. En cifras exactas estamos haciendo referencia de que pasará de 605 millones a 2000 millones en el transcurso de medio siglo. Teniendo en cuenta esta información es necesario conocer los requerimientos y poder tener una guía clara y precisa que nos muestre cómo deberían ser los elementos de construcción analizados: paramentos, pavimentos y techos, así mismo los requerimientos ambientales estudiados siendo estos: acústica, clima e iluminación y a la vez ver de qué forma la tecnología está y seguirá influenciando en ellos para hacerlos más aceptos a las necesidades de este determinado grupo de seres humanos con necesidades tan exactas y especificas como son los envejecientes

Intelligent technologies for the aging brain: opportunities and challenges

Intelligent computing is rapidly reshaping healthcare. In light of the global burden of population aging and neurological disorders, dementia and elderly care are among the healthcare sectors that are most likely to benefit from this technological revolution. Trends in artificial intelligence, robotics, ubiquitous computing, neurotechnology and other branches of biomedical engineering are progressively enabling novel opportunities for technology-enhanced care. These Intelligent Assistive Technologies (IATs) open the prospects of supporting older adults with neurocognitive disabilities, maintain their independence, reduce the burden on caregivers and delay the need for long-term care (1, 2). While technology develops fast, yet little knowledge is available to patients and health professionals about the current availability, applicability, and capability of existing IATs. This thesis proposes a state-of-the-art analysis of IATs in dementia and elderly care. Our findings indicate that advances in intelligent technology are resulting in a rapidly expanding number and variety of assistive solutions for older adults and people with neurocognitive disabilities. However, our analysis identifies a number of challenges that negatively affect the optimal deployment and uptake of IATs among target users and care institutions. These include design issues, sub-optimal approaches to product development, translational barriers between lab and clinics, lack of adequate validation and implementation, as well as data security and cyber-risk weaknesses. Additionally, in virtue of their technological novelty, intelligent technologies raise a number of Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI). Therefore, a significant portion of this thesis is devoted to providing an early ethical Technology Assessment (eTA) of intelligent technology, hence contributing to preparing the terrain for its safe and ethically responsible adoption. This assessment is primarily focused on intelligent technologies at the human-machine interface, as these applications enable an unprecedented exposure of the intimate dimension of individuals to the digital infosphere. Issues of privacy, integrity, equality, and dual-use were addressed at the level of stakeholder analysis, normative ethics and human-rights law. Finally, this thesis is aimed at providing evidence-based recommendations for guiding participatory and responsible development in intelligent technology, and delineating governance strategies that maximize the clinical benefits of IATs for the aging world, while minimizing unintended risks