TECH TO HELP YOU LIVE LONGER
@ PC PRO
If you were born in 1920, you could expect to live for just over 55 years if you were a man, and almost 60 if you were a woman. The average boy born today, however, will reach almost their 90th birthday, while girls will hit their 92nd. Lifespans have been extended by decades, but does our quality of life suffer as a result?
Getting older isn’t only a matter of adding a few more candles to the cake and accepting that music was “better in my day”, it also brings a vast range of physical changes. The functions of our liver, kidneys and other organs gradually decline; muscles and joints wear out; our immune system starts to put its feet up. Even the brain can reduce in volume as we age. On top of that, there’s the risk of developing chronic illnesses. The longer someone lives, the more likely they are to pick up conditions such as dementia, heart disease and cancer.
Getting older comes with benefits too, of course. Older people are more likely to be politically engaged, be able to enjoy greater amounts of leisure time, have better problem-solving abilities and enjoy a healthy sex life – but there’s no denying that ageing has formidable challenges.
So how can tech help old age be the best years of your life? There are three main areas that must be tackled: physical health, mental health and social circumstances, which covers everything else from contact with family and friends to a suitable home environment. The tech industry has all three in its sights.
The doctor on your wrist
Older age is linked with a whole host of chronic diseases. To age well, we need to delay their arrival or prevent their onset altogether.
Wearables may have started out as a way for the über-fit to measure their daily
