The Social and Built Environment in an Older Society (1988) / Chapter Skim
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TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEW ENVIRONMENT
TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEW ENVIRONMENT
Pages 207-217
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From page 207... ...
Some choices reflect concerns about direct costs are we willing to pay the bill? Other choices raise issues involving more subtle, indirect costs if we change a manufacturing process, will a generation be unemployed?
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From page 208... ...
We are tempted to respond impatiently that open-heart surgery saves lives and reduces symptoms, but does a hearing aid not make a major difference in functioning? The recent hearings surrounding cardiac pacemakers illustrate the power and the problem of medical technology.
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From page 209... ...
Certainly, efforts aimed at screening especially those that require only increased attention to frequently overlooked problems like depression- are appropriate. But so, too, are programs aimed at reducing risks such as smoking, providing nutritional therapy for osteoporosis, or immunizations against influenza pneumonia (Kane et al., 19851.
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From page 210... ...
The potential for using such computers for self-care and health education, as well as for direct communication on the monitoring of physiological and psychological functioning, strongly argues for a more aggressive effort to encourage older people to become comfortable in the computer world. Our own recent experience in conducting pilot tests using computers to screen for cognitive dysfunction confirms the OTA conclusions.
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From page 211... ...
Looked at individually, many of these services promise significant benefits. For example, a recent study of total knee replacement for advanced joint
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From page 212... ...
The study by Aaron and Schwartz (1984) of health care rationing in the United Kingdom raises the specter of similar approaches in this country.
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From page 213... ...
In the past, we have argued that prepaid health care systems provided consumer protection by permitting the consumer to leave whenever he was dissatisfied. However, closer inspection suggests that this consumer protection is illusory.
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From page 214... ...
In other circumstances, volunteer work produces credits that can be cashed in for services when the volunteer himself becomes dependent. Volunteerism is enormously popular with the current administration, which is dedicated to reducing public expenditures on social services, but it carries with it a potential stigma in a society in which we are used to paying for things we value.
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From page 215... ...
Machines may become companions, adapting themselves to the needs and demands of their users, providing a bridge to the outside world that compensates for various disabilities. The same machines may serve as prods and reminders to encourage individuals to pursue invigorating activities that maintain function and maximize health.
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From page 216... ...
A more sophisticated linkage by telephone or electronic media that goes beyond electronic mail to put people into visual communication may overcome much of the social isolation that has plagued the disabled elderly until now. The ability to interact with machines as well as with other people may provide the elderly with a much more patient, reinforcing set of social partners than they have experienced before.
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From page 217... ...
TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEW ENVIRONMENT 217 Office of Technology Assessment.
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