Technologies to Support Aging among People with Long-Term Disabilities
TechSAge Talks with Yi-An Chen
TechSAge Talks are Q&A interviews on all things aging, disability, & tech. Our latest conversation features Yi-An Chen – an occupational therapist teaming up with musicians to develop a music-based hand therapy app for individuals post-stroke. Learn more about the innovative Keystroke app.
Featured Article
Using Technology to Support the Everyday Activities of People Aging with Long-Term Disabilities
A new TechSAge article published in the Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) Journal special issue on technology and aging highlights our center’s approach of user-centered technology R&D to address the unique challenges of aging with disability. The article spotlights three TechSAge projects that used commercially-available products as exemplars of user centered design for technology interventions: Telewellness Technologies, Monitoring and Managing Falls Among People Who Use Wheelchairs, and Voice-Activated Digital Assistants. These projects demonstrate the potential of technology to enhance social connection, wellness, safety, activity performance among people aging with disability. Read the full article by Laura Rice, Elena Remillard, Emma Lachs, Tracy Mitzner, Jon Sanford, and Wendy Rogers
Latest Publications
Technology Implications
Everyday Challenges for Individuals Aging With Vision Impairment: Technology Implications
Aging Trends
Understanding Wheelchair Use in Older Adults From the National Health and Aging Trends Study
Digital Assistants
Understanding the needs of older adults learning to use digital home assistants: A demonstration study
Staff Spotlight: Pallabi Bhowmick, Ph.D.
Pallabi Bhowmick is a Postdoctoral Research associate in the Human Factors and Aging Lab at Illinois. On the TechSAge Design of a Soft Robotic Shower Head (SoRoSH) project, she is engaged with user needs research on bathing, showering, and self-care among individuals with long-term mobility disabilities, particularly wheelchair users. She is supporting an interview study and conducting an archival analysis from the R1 User Needs project on bathing and self-care challenges among this population. She aims to pursue a career in academia and is passionate about turning research insights into practical, user-friendly solutions. Fun fact: Pallabi has a love for photography and collects keychains as souvenirs from her travels.
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TechSAge research is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR Grant #90REGE0021 and #90REGE0006-01-00)
NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).