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”年龄组。随着年龄的增长，人们面临着保持活动能力、保持认知功能以及控制越来越多的医疗问题的挑战。许多老年人最终住进了医院，或者住进了一个有高水平临床医生监督的机构，在那里，护理成本非常高。允许老年人在监护下独立生活是大多数成年人的首选。许多研究表明，独立生活可以提高老年人的生活质量，并减少他们认知能力的下降。面对人口老龄化和有限的人力和财政资源，这一问题正成为各国政府日益重视的问题。因此，对使老年人能够独立生活的技术的研究将提高他们的生活质量，同时降低医疗保健服务的成本。

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.