Smart Environments and Communications for the Independent Living of Seniors

根据加拿大统计局的数据，加拿大人口中增长最快的部分是“65岁以上”年龄段。随着年龄的增长，保持行动能力、维持认知功能和控制越来越多的医疗问题的挑战也随之而来。许多老年人最终在医院环境中，或在具有高水平的临床医生监测的机构中，那里的护理成本非常高。让老年人在接受监控的同时独立生活是大多数成年人的首选选择。许多研究表明，独立生活可以改善老年人的生活质量，减少他们认知能力的恶化。面对人口老龄化和人力和财政资源有限的问题，这一问题正日益成为各国政府的优先事项。因此，研究使老年人能够独立生活的技术将提高他们的生活质量，同时降低医疗保健提供的成本。

According to Statistics Canada the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population is the "over 65" age category. With increasing age, come the challenges of maintaining mobility, maintaining cognitive function, and keeping increasing numbers of medical problems under control. Many seniors end-up in a hospital setting, or in an institution with a high level of clinician based monitoring, where the cost of care is very high. Allowing older adults to live independently while being monitored is the preferred option for most adults. Many studies have shown that independant living leads to a better quality of life for older adults and reduces the deterioration in their cognitive abilities. This issue is becoming an increasing priority for governments faced with an aging population and limited human and fiscal resources. Research into technologies that enable older adults to live independently will therefore improve their quality of life while reducing the cost of healthcare delivery.