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"Nana" Technology is microchip based technology designed, intended, or that can otherwise be used to improve quality of life for older adults.
The term “Nana” technology was coined in 2004 by Andrew Carle, an assistant professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. [1]
Carle's goal was to bridge what he referred to as the 'divide between Geeks and Grans', in which technology companies were failing to consistently develop products of practical value to older adults, with older adults simultaneously unaware of technologies that did exist and could be helpful in their daily lives. Carle additionally felt governments were not paying enough attention to issues relevant to aging populations worldwide – both in stresses on family caregivers struggling to allow aging parents to live independently for as long as possible, as well as on the critical shortage of long-term care workers in both home and facility based environments.
A word play on the scientific field of nanotechnology, “Nana” technology is loosely directed to imply technologies for someone's grandmother, or “Nana”. Carle was the first person to advance the use of this phrase with a formal definition, and one focused exclusively on microchip technologies, with the result of naming a new and distinct subset of the technology services industry. Carle's term and specific application were first nationally published in a feature article in USA TODAY on August 9, 2006. Since that time Carle's term and/or definition has been published, quoted, or featured in or on numerous media worldwide including but not limited to: CNN, CNBC, CBS News, Fox News, PBS, NPR, Forbes, Smart Money, BBC, Agence France-Presse, KYODO News Service, and the Australian Broadcast Corporation, among others.
Since defining the sector, Carle has served as a consultant or adviser to a number of companies with an interest in developing technologies for older adults, including APPLE, Nintendo, Vigorous Mind, and GTX Corporation. With GTX, he helped develop the first GPS shoe for individuals with Alzheimer's and related dementia, who may be at risk of wandering and becoming lost. In 2012, the technology was recognized as one of the "100 Most Important Inventions of Mankind" by the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. [2]
In addition to the term and definition, Carle has established eight categories to date for “Nana” technologies, and as they pertain to areas most relevant to individuals over the age of 65:
Health and Wellness: Including technologies such as those for managing medications, monitoring vital signs, or treating medical conditions typically affecting older adults.
Safety: Including technologies for preventing or reducing falls, monitoring for or requesting emergency assistance, or tracking or preventing wandering among individuals with Alzheimer's related dementia.
Cognition: Includes technologies intended to improve overall cognitive functioning as affected by normal aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease or related dementia.
Communication: Includes technologies that allow older adults to communicate electronically via phone, internet, video, or other forms of communication.
Sensory: Includes technologies that assist older adults affected by reduction or loss of vision, hearing, taste, touch, or smell.
Mobility: Includes technologies such as those that assist older adults in ambulation, transportation, or driving.
Lifestyle: Includes technologies that assist older adults in day-to-day functioning including meal preparation, housekeeping/home maintenance, bathing, dressing, etc.
Robotics/Whole Home Systems: Includes technologies that can self perform assistive tasks, and/or which combine two or more of the above categories into a single system.
Carle has released or presented multiple Top "Nana" Technologies opinion lists, which have been published in numerous national and international media. Featured below is a sample of technologies mentioned or similar to those identified during a presentation at the AARP Life@50+ National Event & Expo in Washington, DC:
Carle has repeatedly referenced “Nana” Technologies being researched or developed for future application. Examples cited by Carle have included a medicine cabinet featuring both face recognition and voice communication capabilities, a “smart shirt” that can monitor vital signs and administer CPR in the event of an emergency, "sensory" shoe inserts that can provide older adults with the same balance as a 20-year-old, and a personal assistance robot that can hear, see, and smell.
The trade name "Nana" Technology is trademarked to Carle and used commercially, among other uses, as a licensed designation for "best of show" winners of an annual, national competition of technologies for older adults. No company or person may use the "Nana" Technology designation in commercial use for their products and/or personal gain without permission or licensure of such use from Andrew Carle.
Intellectual property rights for the "Nana" Technology term, definition, and categories are additionally copyrighted to Carle (2004), as originally published and presented in his course lectures at George Mason University, and in subsequent articles published by Carle. In this regard, use of the term to describe such technologies must be properly sourced, as well as meet the definition and categories established by Carle.
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility (ambulation), eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, disabled people have an opportunity of a more positive and easygoing lifestyle, with an increase in "social participation", "security and control", and a greater chance to "reduce institutional costs without significantly increasing household expenses." In schools, assistive technology can be critical in allowing students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum. Students who experience challenges writing or keyboarding, for example, can use voice recognition software instead. Assistive technologies assist people who are recovering from strokes and people who have sustained injuries that affect their daily tasks.
Dementia is the general name for a decline in cognitive abilities that impacts a person's ability to perform everyday activities. This typically involves problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. Aside from memory impairment and a disruption in thought patterns, the most common symptoms include emotional problems, difficulties with language, and decreased motivation. The symptoms may be described as occurring in a continuum over several stages. Dementia ultimately has a significant effect on the individual, caregivers, and on social relationships in general. A diagnosis of dementia requires the observation of a change from a person's usual mental functioning and a greater cognitive decline than what is caused by normal aging.
Electronic tagging is a form of surveillance that uses an electronic device affixed to a person.
An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States. Still, the setting is similar to a retirement home, in the sense that facilities provide a group living environment and typically cater to an older adult population. There is also Caribbean assisted living, which offers a similar service in a resort-like environment.
Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. It is important for an individual's competitiveness and employability, but also enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development.
Telecare is technology-based healthcare such as the monitoring of patient vital organs so that they may remain safe and independent in their own homes. Devices may include health and fitness apps, such as exercise tracking tools and digital medication reminder apps, or technologies that issue early warning and detection. The use of sensors may be part of a package which can provide support for people with illnesses such as dementia, or people at risk of falling.
Age-related memory loss, sometimes described as "normal aging", is qualitatively different from memory loss associated with types of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, and is believed to have a different brain mechanism.
An adult daycare center is typically a non-residential facility that supports the health, nutritional, social, and daily living needs of adults in a professionally staffed, group setting. These facilities provide adults with transitional care and short-term rehabilitation following hospital discharge. The majority of centers provide meals, meaningful activities, and general supervision. The care provided is often a social model or a medical model provided in order to improve participants health and guide their progress in the right direction. Demand for adult daycare centers is increasing with the need for assistance in old age or guidance to reintegrate into society after injury, illness or addiction, and accommodation to return to their former lives or improve upon their quality of life.
Home automation for the elderly and disabled focuses on making it possible for older adults and people with disabilities to remain at home, safe and comfortable. Home automation is becoming a viable option for older adults and people with disabilities who would prefer to stay in the comfort of their homes rather than move to a healthcare facility. This field uses much of the same technology and equipment as home automation for security, entertainment, and energy conservation but tailors it towards old people and people with disabilities.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines aging in place as "the ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level".
As populations age, caring for people with dementia has become more common. Elderly caregiving may consist of formal care and informal care. Formal care involves the services of community and medical partners, while informal care involves the support of family, friends, and local communities. In most mild-to-medium cases of dementia, the caregiver is a spouse or an adult child. Over a period of time, more professional care in the form of nursing and other supportive care may be required medically, whether at home or in a long-term care facility. There is evidence to show that case management can improve care for individuals with dementia and the experience of their caregivers. Furthermore, case management may reduce overall costs and institutional care in the medium term. Millions of people living in the United States take care of a friend or family member with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.
Family caregivers are “relatives, friends, or neighbors who provide assistance related to an underlying physical or mental disability for at-home care delivery and assist in the activities of daily living (ADLs) who are unpaid and have no formal training to provide those services.”
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens, and is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect, and behavioral issues. As a person's condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Although the speed of progression can vary, the typical life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years.
Sundowning, or sundown syndrome, is a neurological phenomenon associated with increased confusion and restlessness in people with delirium or some form of dementia. It is most commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease but also found in those with other forms of dementia. The term "sundowning" was coined by nurse Lois K. Evans in 1987 due to the timing of the person's increased confusion beginning in the late afternoon and early evening. For people with sundown syndrome, a multitude of behavioral problems begin to occur and are associated with long term adverse outcomes. Sundowning seems to occur more frequently during the middle stages of Alzheimer's disease and mixed dementia and seems to subside with the progression of the person's dementia. People are generally able to understand that this behavioral pattern is abnormal. Research shows that 20–45% of people with Alzheimer's will experience some variation of sundowning confusion. However, despite lack of an official diagnosis of sundown syndrome in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), there is currently a wide range of reported prevalence.
Wandering occurs when a person with dementia roams around and becomes lost or confused about their location. It is a common behavior that can cause great risk for the person, and is often the major priority for caregivers. It is estimated to be the most common form of disruption from people with dementia within institutions. Although it occurs in several types of dementia, wandering is especially common in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). People with dementia often wander because they are stressed, looking for someone or something, attending to basic needs, engaging in past routines, or with visual-spatial problems. Other times, they may wander without aim at all.
Caregiver syndrome or caregiver stress is a condition that strongly manifests exhaustion, anger, rage, or guilt resulting from unrelieved caring for a chronically ill patient. This condition is not listed in the United States' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, although the term is often used by many healthcare professionals in that country. The equivalent used in many other countries, the ICD-11, does include the condition.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) is an American nonprofit organization based in New York City whose mission is to provide support, services and education to individuals, families and caregivers affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias nationwide, and fund research for better treatment and a cure. AFA unites more than 2,000 member organizations from coast-to-coast that are dedicated to meeting the educational, social, emotional and practical needs of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, and their caregivers and families. Member organizations include grassroots Alzheimer's agencies, senior centers, adult daycare center, home healthcare agencies, long-term care residences, research facilities, and other dementia-related groups. AFA holds Charity Navigator's highest rating of 4 stars.
Elderspeak is a specialized speech style used by younger adults with older adults, characterized by simpler vocabulary and sentence structure, filler words, content words, overly-endearing terms, closed-ended questions, using the collective "we", repetition, and speaking more slowly. Elderspeak stems from the stereotype that older people have reduced cognitive abilities, such as in language processing and production, and its use may be a result of or contribute to ageism. Although some aspects of elderspeak may be beneficial for some recipients, it is generally seen as inappropriate and a hindrance to intergenerational communication.
Caregiver burden is the stress which is perceived by caregivers due to the home care situation. The subjective burden is considered to be one of the most important predictors of negative outcomes from the home care situation.
Jiska Cohen-Mansfield is the Igor Orenstein Chair for the Study of Geriatrics at Tel Aviv University Medical School and a professor at the Department of Health Promotion at the School of Public Health in the Sackler Medical Faculty at Tel Aviv University. She is the director of the Minerva Center for Interdisciplinary Study of End of Life at Tel-Aviv University.
