Dear ISG Members,
This has been a very busy year so far for the ISG; preparations are well underway for the International Society for Gerontechnology 2018 World Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. We will keep you apprised of exciting developments at ISG2018 as they occur via the newsletter, our website at www.Gerontechnology.org, and via our Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/gerontechnology/ and at
https://www.facebook.com/Gerontechnology.North.America/
I hope you will be attending the IAGG 2017 World Congress in San Francisco! As a full congress registrant, you’ll gain free access to the IAGG Tech Day, to be held on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 in the Marriott Marquis Hotel, Salon 9 from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm. The IAGG Tech Day theme is Technology and Aging: Innovation for Independence and Inclusion. I will have the distinct pleasure of moderating what I know will be a stimulating panel discussion entitled Using Robots to Address the Psychosocial, Health and Functional Needs of Older Adults which will include internationally recognized robotocists Professor Elizabeth Broadbent (University of Auckland), Takanori Shibata (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology [Japan] and inventor of Paro) and Esther Salichs (U. Carlos III de Madrid). For more information, please consult the website for the event which is https://www.iagg2017.org/program/tech-day.
I also wish to share with you that the revised Articles of Association for our society were officially registered with the Dutch authorities on July 13th. This would not have been possible without the cooperation of the many ISG members who participated in the review and approval process.
We are now less than one year away from the ISG2018 conference. The call for abstracts will be open soon after I return from the IAGG conference. I do hope to see you all in St Petersburg, Florida next May. We are doing our utmost to ensure that all of you will have the opportunity to attend a great conference.
Wishing you all a wonderful summer!
William (Bill) Kearns
ISG President |
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View from Grandmaster. Prof. (emeritus) dr. Johanna (Annelies) van BronswijkGerontechnology and its teaching to age in healthJ.E.M.H. van Bronswijk (July 12, 2017)  With an aging world on all continents, technology to support aging societies is increasingly important for society, research, and valorization of services. Fortunately, interest is growing. In Google Scholar, for instance, of the almost 10.000 hits on ‘gerontechnology’, 20% originate from the last 1½ year alone! About 40% of all hits concern education and 65%, ‘health’. Still, gerontechnology education for all new and current designers, engineers, researchers and policy makers is not yet the general rule, perhaps because of a lack of teachers that oversee the intimate and variable relations between gerontology and technology in all domains of life. The WAGT (World Academy for Gerontechnology) was established last year1 to fill this gap by certifying gerontechnology experts who are able to teach and assist in the organization of master classes for emerging designers, scientists and engineers. Building an open access teaching library is one of the additional activities foreseen. WAGT is affiliated with the ISG, and currently is in its start-up phase. Reference 1. Bronswijk, J.E.M.H. van. Académie Internationale de Gérontechnologie – World Academy for Gerontechnology (WAGT). Gerontechnology 2016;15(suppl):170s; doi:10.4017/gt.2016.15.s.003.00 |
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Report from the Editor-in-Chief, Gerontechnology  Gerontechnology, the official journal of ISG, was founded in 2001 as the first international scientific journal devoted to the domain of gerontechnology. Gerontechnology Volume 16, issue 1 was published online on April 28th, 2017, including two literature reviews and four original research papers. The printed version was published on May 22th and mailed to subscribers worldwide. Volume 16, issue 2 is now published online partially and will be fully published online by the end of July. At the same time, Volume 16, issue 3 is scheduled as a special issues edited by Prof. Helianthe Kort which is going to focus on healthy environments for aging adults. Volume 16, issue 4 is scheduled as a special issue by Prof. Thomas Bock, which is titled as “Responsive engagement of the elderly promoting activity and customized healthcare”. All of the papers invited for the two special issues have been submitted and entered the peer review process. It is expected to publish Volume 16, issue 3 in September, 2017 and Volume 16, issue 4 in December, 2017.
Call for papers Gerontechnology Journal receives manuscripts covering diverse fields, including health, housing, mobility, communication, leisure, and work of older adults. We accept papers addressing multidisciplinary challenges of the ageing society though solutions to similar problems approached from alternative technological domains. Please submit your valuable manuscripts online at http://journal.gerontechnology.org. If you have any question, please contact Yeh-Liang Hsu PhD, editor-in-chief of Gerontechnology at: yehlianghsu@gmail.com Subscription By subscription, you can automatically get full access to the latest research published in Gerontechnology and hard copies for each issue. For more information about subscription, please visit http://journal.gerontechnology.org/subscription.aspx . Auriens hackathon creating new ideas for the older generation |
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 | The International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG) was a partner in the Auriens hackathon, which took place over the weekend of April 28th -30th 2017 at the OXO2, located on London’s South Bank. Over 70 developers and designers attended the event forming 16 teams competing for a first prize of £5,000 and a second prize of £2,000. ISG was represented by Dr. Shirley Evans from the University of Worcester who fulfilled the role of mentor over the three days: ‘It was the most fantastic, well-organised and inspirational event I have ever been to. There were some amazing ideas and the buzz and creativity in the room was incredible over the whole weekend. It was a real privilege to represent the Society and to be able to mentor such talented teams.’Auriens is a brand new healthtech and hospitality start-up specialising in later life luxury. The aim of the hack was to deliver immersive, innovative, and imaginative solutions that challenge the conventions around old age and hacks new ideas to improve the quality (and quantity!) of all aspects of later life for this generation and the next. The hackathon was organised by BeMyApp, who made sure everything ran like clockwork and created an atmosphere that nurtured and inspired. Participants were kept well fed and watered, with yoga and massage sessions available as well as talks from different experts. Shirley presented on different aspects of gerontechnology including older people’s physical and non-physical characteristics that influence their use of technology as well as an overview of the challenges for people with dementia. |
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 | Activities on IAGG2017Speaking of great upcoming events this summer, we hope to see you at IAGG 2017 World Congress in San Francisco! As indicated in the President’s message, ISG is involved in the Tech Day on July 26 which will be held at IAGG 2017. In addition, several ISG members will be presenting at the conference. ISG will also be visible via a booth in the Exhibit Hall. Visit us at booth #311. As a registrant for the full congress, you’ll be given free access to the Tech Day, to be held on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 in the Marriott Marquis Hotel, Salon 9 from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm. The theme of IAGG Tech Day is Technology and Aging: Innovation for Independence and Inclusion. During the daylong presentation, ISG President William Kearns will moderate a stimulating panel discussion titled Using Robots to Address the Psychosocial, Health and Functional Needs of Older Adults which will include internationally recognized roboticists Professors Elizabeth Broadbent (University of Auckland), Takanori Shibata (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology [Japan] and inventor of Paro) and Esther Salichs (U. Carlos III de Madrid). For more information, please consult the website for the event which is https://www.iagg2017.org/program/tech-day. |
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World Conference ISG 2018 |
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 | | It is just the beginning of summer, but already preparations are well underway for the International Society for Gerontechnology 2018 World Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. |
 | | We will keep you apprised of exciting developments as they occur through the website and our Facebook pages at Facebook Gerontechnology and at Facebook North America |
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Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES) was held in Hong Kong from 16-18 June, 2017. The objectives of GIES were to promote community awareness of the power of technology and innovation for healthy and active ageing; identify the driving forces and hurdles in encouraging innovation for the ageing population, and prioritise the areas that are in most need of innovative solutions to cope with the ageing challenge. The Expo covered approximately 5,000-squre-metre exhibition floor with 116 local and international exhibitors. For the Summit, thematic forums and over 20 workshops and seminars were held during the three-day event. Prof. Yeh-Liang Hsu, president of Sinophone Chapter, gave a keynote speech on smart living/IoT/gerontechnology. His research team was also invited to exhibit examples of their own products with the booth named “G-Tech Villa”. GIES drew over 43,000 participants, including the public, industry members, and scholars. Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, also visited GIES and talked with prof. Hsu at “G-Tech Villa”.
