A special report
Hi everyone! I'm Heather DeMarco at the business desk and today I'd like to publish a special report that I found a few days ago. This report deals with our rapidly aging population and it tells what companies like HP and Microsoft are doing to meet the demand of aging computer users.
I hope that you find this article valuable and interesting but I also hope that you can use it to create some opportunities for yourself. This report should help to spark your imagination when it comes to creating and developing products and services that are being demanded by our aging population as well as by others.
Have a great weekend and see you next week.
Computers that adapt as their users age
TheMatureMarket.com, September 09, 2006
Eric Dishman calls it a "demographic tidal wave," and its effects are being
felt worldwide.
Dishman, chairman of the Centre for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) and
General Manager of Health Research and Innovation Group at Intel
Corporation, is referring to the exploding worldwide population of "seniors"
- people who are age 60 or above. The United Nations estimates that the
worldwide senior population was 600 million in the year 2000. This number is
expected to double to 1.2 billion by 2025, and surge to over 2 billion by
2050.
In some countries, including Italy and Japan, 20 percent or more of the
population is at least 65 years old. Many other countries will reach this
milestone within the next two decades.
Large numbers of these seniors are staying in the workforce, some for years
beyond their traditional retirement age. Some countries are even enticing
older citizens to stay in the workforce longer by raising the age at which
they can receive retirement benefits.
As more people live and work longer, they also are likely to experience more
age-related changes in their vision, hearing and dexterity. Some functional
losses are accelerated by the onset of age-related degenerative diseases and
ailments, including hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes and macular
degeneration. Disabling conditions, including arthritis and orthopedic
impairments, tend to manifest themselves as the body ages.
These types of changes can affect a person's capacity to use and interact
with computing devices and environments.
Companies like HP and Microsoft. are addressing the needs of the aging
workforce by making computers easier to use. "Seniors" aren't the only ones
who benefit, though.
"There is a 100% chance that each of us is getting older every day," says
Michael Takemura, director of the HP Accessibility Program Office. "But you
don't have to be over 60 years of age to need some kind of 'accommodation'
in your work environment. People who have hit 40 find they need reading
glasses or they begin having difficulties with their hearing or dexterity.
They may even face a temporary limitation - hurting your arm or hand playing
sports over the weekend - and are challenged to access their computer on
Monday morning. We all encounter situations where we need a work environment
that adapts to our needs."
Here are a few ways that computers have become more "user friendly" for
people who need some kind of accommodation, including those mature workers
in the office.
Displays and readability options can be set to enlarge text and images on
the screen for easier viewing.
Options in Windows. XP make sounds easier to hear or distinguish, and you
can have visual cues as an alternative to sound.
Software can adjust keyboards and mice to make them easier to use. For
example, you can set "StickyKeys" to allow pressing one key at a time
sequentially instead of pressing multiple keys (like Ctrl-Alt-Del)
simultaneously.
The Accessibility Wizard in Windows. XP can help new users quickly and
easily set up groups of accessibility options that address visual , hearing
and dexterity needs all in one place. The Accessibility Wizard asks
questions about accessibility needs. Then, based on the answers, it
configures utilities and settings for individual users.
For people who need more accommodation, there are various types of assistive
technology products, specially designed to provide additional accessibility
to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and
disabilities.
HP can help you select the right assistive technology for your needs. You
can conveniently and privately shop online for such solutions when you are
ready to buy.
LINKS:
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/accessibility/atproduct.html
http://www.enablemart.com/default.aspx?store=10
Who knows? As more mature workers fill the office cubicles, the absolute
coolest computer accessory could one day be something like a screen reader
or a keyless keyboard.
Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
http://www.thematuremarket.com/SeniorStrategic/computers-adapt-users-age-756
4-5.html
TheMatureMarket.com, September 09, 2006
Eric Dishman calls it a "demographic tidal wave," and its effects are being
felt worldwide.
Dishman, chairman of the Centre for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) and
General Manager of Health Research and Innovation Group at Intel
Corporation, is referring to the exploding worldwide population of "seniors"
- people who are age 60 or above. The United Nations estimates that the
worldwide senior population was 600 million in the year 2000. This number is
expected to double to 1.2 billion by 2025, and surge to over 2 billion by
2050.
In some countries, including Italy and Japan, 20 percent or more of the
population is at least 65 years old. Many other countries will reach this
milestone within the next two decades.
Large numbers of these seniors are staying in the workforce, some for years
beyond their traditional retirement age. Some countries are even enticing
older citizens to stay in the workforce longer by raising the age at which
they can receive retirement benefits.
As more people live and work longer, they also are likely to experience more
age-related changes in their vision, hearing and dexterity. Some functional
losses are accelerated by the onset of age-related degenerative diseases and
ailments, including hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes and macular
degeneration. Disabling conditions, including arthritis and orthopedic
impairments, tend to manifest themselves as the body ages.
These types of changes can affect a person's capacity to use and interact
with computing devices and environments.
Companies like HP and Microsoft. are addressing the needs of the aging
workforce by making computers easier to use. "Seniors" aren't the only ones
who benefit, though.
"There is a 100% chance that each of us is getting older every day," says
Michael Takemura, director of the HP Accessibility Program Office. "But you
don't have to be over 60 years of age to need some kind of 'accommodation'
in your work environment. People who have hit 40 find they need reading
glasses or they begin having difficulties with their hearing or dexterity.
They may even face a temporary limitation - hurting your arm or hand playing
sports over the weekend - and are challenged to access their computer on
Monday morning. We all encounter situations where we need a work environment
that adapts to our needs."
Here are a few ways that computers have become more "user friendly" for
people who need some kind of accommodation, including those mature workers
in the office.
Displays and readability options can be set to enlarge text and images on
the screen for easier viewing.
Options in Windows. XP make sounds easier to hear or distinguish, and you
can have visual cues as an alternative to sound.
Software can adjust keyboards and mice to make them easier to use. For
example, you can set "StickyKeys" to allow pressing one key at a time
sequentially instead of pressing multiple keys (like Ctrl-Alt-Del)
simultaneously.
The Accessibility Wizard in Windows. XP can help new users quickly and
easily set up groups of accessibility options that address visual , hearing
and dexterity needs all in one place. The Accessibility Wizard asks
questions about accessibility needs. Then, based on the answers, it
configures utilities and settings for individual users.
For people who need more accommodation, there are various types of assistive
technology products, specially designed to provide additional accessibility
to individuals who have physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments, and
disabilities.
HP can help you select the right assistive technology for your needs. You
can conveniently and privately shop online for such solutions when you are
ready to buy.
LINKS:
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/accessibility/atproduct.html
http://www.enablemart.com/default.aspx?store=10
Who knows? As more mature workers fill the office cubicles, the absolute
coolest computer accessory could one day be something like a screen reader
or a keyless keyboard.
Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
http://www.thematuremarket.com/SeniorStrategic/computers-adapt-users-age-756
4-5.html
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2:47 PM
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