5/5 (2)

The elderly and new technology? Does not seem like the perfect combination if you ask me. However, a Motivaction research shows that elderly have a much more positive attitude towards new technologies than we think. Technology has the potential to mean even more to them than just the “fun” part; it can be used to increase the quality of life in their own house. Technology designs and supports innovative ways that allows the elderly to independently shape their lives.

There are several ways automation influences the life of the elderly at home. In the first place, it could help them perform, or take over, daily tasks. For example, automated light controls or automated doors and locks make life at home easier for the ones who struggle with their mobility. In the second place, new technologies could also replace some human home care tasks by computers. For example, medicine dispensing services can be automated to ensure the right medication at the right time. The home automations can differ from simple to more complicated devices, but they all assist in helping the elderly have a more secure and independent life.

Despite the fact that home automation creates a lot of benefits for the elderly, there is also a frequently mentioned disadvantage; loneliness. Automation ensures that many human tasks in the healthcare sector, for example performed by nurses or doctors, are replaced by computers. As a result, part of the (daily) human contact disappears at the same time. However, new technologies could attenuate the increasing experienced amount of loneliness through robots or appointments via an online connection. The downside of these technological developments is the decreasing number of employment opportunities for humans. Thus, it also creates a big challenge for the healthcare sector.

Do you think home automation is a solution or a danger to the (elderly) healthcare sector? Let me know in the comments!

Want to learn more about new technological inventions in elderly care? Check out the following TEDx Talk:
 

 

Resources:

Gijsbers, L. and van Duist, L. (2015). Ouderen en nieuwe technologie. Motivaction.

Nu.nl. (2019). Technologie in huis laat ouderen langer zelfstandig wonen. [online] Available at: https://www.nu.nl/wonen-en-interieur/4087413/technologie-in-huis-laat-ouderen-langer-zelfstandig-wonen.html [Accessed 17 Oct. 2019].

Washington, H. (n.d.). Home Automation for the Elderly and Disabled is Changing Lives. [online] Smart Offices Smart Homes. Available at: https://smartofficesandsmarthomes.com/home-automation-for-the-elderly-and-disabled/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2019].

5/5 (2)

Ships that are able to produce large chunks of ice in order to maintain the ice-levels of the North and South Pole, spaceships that manage to bounce off sunlight in order to decrease temperatures on earth or ships that can drop large quantities of iron into the ocean in order to stimulate the growth of plankton, also known as animals that absorb CO₂. These are a few daring examples of how geo-engineering could save our planet.

CO₂ emission numbers are increasing dramatically. As shown in the graph above, global emissions raised from nihil in 1800 to over 36 billion tonnes of CO₂ nowadays. Geo-engineering is the deployment of new technologies to save the environment. Some call it a very dangerous intervention, but geo-engineering certainly has potential to maintain human-life on mother earth.

The more the emission numbers will increase, the more people will understand the importance of the effects that geo-engineering could bring. According to a large number of scientists, reducing CO2 emissions is not enough. They state that geo-engineering is needed to abate already existing quantities of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, these emerging technologies evoke new complications and consequences. Therefore a clear risk analysis is highly essential.

Geo-engineering comes with multiple rising organizational and ethical dilemmas. The solution to these dilemmas should be found international collaborative sphere: national, continental and worldwide. However, the disparate perceptions on geo-engineering currently leads to each party following their own strategy. Besides the diverging approaches towards geo-engineering, multiple risks in the manufacturing and implementation phase of these daring plans and the attaching immense costs are incredibly challenging.

What do you think about geo-engineering? Has it the potential to save our planet or are we already too late? Are there more fitting solutions? Share your thoughts with me and let me know in the comments!

 

Sources:

Ritchie, H. and Roser, M. (2018). CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. [online] Our World in Data. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

What is Geoengineering and Can It Save the Planet. (2018).

. University of California Television.

van Zon, H. (2019). Zelfs klimaat bijsturen in een optie. Algemeen Dagblad.