I don't think there's much doubt that technology can help us live longer and healthier lives. If that isn't true, a lot of big companies are wasting an awful lot of money. The technology curve has certainly worked so far--adding about 3 years of life per decade to what we can expect, and improving the health of the aging on almost every metric we use.
But can technology help us be happier as we get older? Not much point in living to 100 if you're miserable the whole time. (Centenarian to journalist: "I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't fool around and I've lived to be 100!" Journalist to centenarian: "Why?")
The keys to being happy appear to be: Feeling loved, feeling connected and feeling useful. It seems obvious that those inventing new technology tools are trying to help us stay connected--I honestly think a winning slogan for the next decade will be "Just disconnect!" as we're experiencing a bit of an overload in ways of staying in touch... And as Silver Survers multiply in numbers, email, cellphones and other devices will keep us ever-more connected (Can there be too much of a good thing?)
Those same tools can help us stay productive. We can become bloggers, like Ted and myself, we can be more effective citizens and neighbors, we can continue to work or pursue a hobby in greater depth, even continue learning, which is another great way of staying alive.
But can technology help us be happy? If so, I don't think it will be the same technologies we're looking at now.
I thing one major source of unhappiness for seniors is isolation. We want independent living, don't get me wrong. But we also (I think) need human, face-to-face contact, a touch on the hand, the sound of another person around us. You just don't get that from a TV screen or computer monitor.
So I think the technology we will have to invest in for a happier life as seniors will be bigger and more material. I think living spaces will need to be redesigned to meet our emotional needs as well as our physical needs. It's great to have ramps and walk-in bathtubs. It will be greater when our living centers also have well-designed common areas and spaces that work to bring people together when they want. Not to mention giving them something to do. Not to mention funneling them back into the community rather than walling them off from it.
There is legislation in many cities that prohibits adult entertainment within a certain proximity to schools. I think equivalent legislation could mandate the proximity of senior centers to schools just as effectively.
The technology that will help us stay a part of this world will not lie in new materials, better wiring or even vastly improved architecture. It will be better community planning, residential codes and traffic design. These areas are changing rapidly due to computer technology. But they've all got a ways to go.
So if you want to help build a more satisfying life for yourself, hie thee down to City Hall and get involved with zoning and planning issues. Your kids don't have the time. Make these managers buckle down and build a community.
And get a little cranky--it's expected. In fact, it's part of your job description.
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