| Sumario: | Issue This session focuses on two ongoing and interrelated changes in the nature of health innovation targeted to support active and healthy aging and addresses associated challenges for the implementation of health technology: (i) In aging societies, health products and services increasingly target the prevention of and coping with chronic diseases. As a consequence, they increasingly operate in the context of private homes and larger 'infostructures' (blended care, eHealth, mHealth) and blend with other non-health related devices. In the context of such ICT-driven 'personal health systems' (PHS), health technologies immerse into the technological environments in the homes of older people, and meet them as both patients and consumers. (ii) The aging baby boomers, as a comparably technology savvy group of older technology users, challenge existing stereotypes of passive and inept older technology users1. For many of them, choices about the purchase and domestication of new technology are a natural part of expressing their lifestyle and defining their identity, as recent UK data suggests2. It includes health technology choices. Content The implementation of health innovations is a major challenge. New devices struggle to find their place in the practices and routines of various users including older persons, their families, and care workers. We shed light on these issues to help successfully innovate and implement health technology in domestic environments. The 1st paper concerns theoretical gains that can be made to understand implementation and use of domestic health technology by combining conceptual and theoretical insights from social gerontology and science & technology studies with gerontechnological theory. The 2nd paper presents the results of a usability trial with an Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) service, including 35 private households (n=35), and specifies what drives acceptance of the systems. The 3rd paper investigates attitudes of healthcare professionals toward eHealth using a questionnaire based on the UTAUP (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) model among 171 Dutch nursing students. The 4th paper explores how the use of health technology in private homes affects its users. Structure The 4 paper presentations are followed by Q&A and a general discussion. Conclusion Together the papers shed light on emerging data and values and help us assess the viability and usefulness of PHS innovations for older persons and specify implications for research on and design of Gerontechnology at the intersection of health and consumer products.
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