UTOPIA

The proportion of older people in the population is increasing and with it the demands on long-term care and help for their particular needs. Although many older people are independent and provide much to the community, as we grow older, we will, in general, experience a reduction in our abilities and usually require support in some activities, eventually even the basic activities of life.

Adopting a different viewpoint, we find that older people, especially those just past retirement age, are often economically active and, despite commonly-held stereotypes, not particularly averse to new technology.

This project aims to bring together these needs and possibilities by investigating the development of computer-based technology for older people. By bringing together researchers in different areas we hope to develop design methodologies that include the needs and wants of older people, as well as raising awareness of these issues among the research and IT communities. In addition, we hope to design and develop some technological products specifically for older people.

Sub-Projects

Sub-projects will probably be focused on the development of specific products. However, these are still to be decided. See the projects page for more details.

Participants

Details of the people involved in the UTOPIA project can be found on the people page.

More information

More information about the project as a whole will be found on the main UTOPIA site, hosted at Dundee University.