A new report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) makes the case for the use of technologies such as telehealth and wearable sensors to help keep elderly Americans healthy and connected.

PCAST, an advisory group of scientists and engineers appointed by President Barack Obama to make policy recommendations related to technology and science, found that such technologies can help elderly Americans manage challenges associated with social connectivity, emotional health and cognitive and physical ability.

"With many Americans wishing to live in their homes and communities for as long as possible, technology such as prosthetics, wearable sensors and other tools for daily living can make that possible," said PCAST members Christine Cassel and Ed Penhoet.

As of 2014, an unprecedented 15 percent of the U.S. population was over the age of 65, according to the Census Bureau, and many of them remain active.

The report offers numerous recommendations, including the following:

• Optimize federal support for independent aging requires coordinated action in health, housing, transportation, communications, energy, education, encironment and public safety so the Office of Science and Technology Policy should create a one-year task force that will identify technologies vital to an aging population. And, the Department of Health and Human Services should suppport a stnading private-public council to advise on sector-wide ways to advance technology in the service of improving quality of life for older people.
• The HHS Admnistration for Community Living and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration at the Department of Commerce should create a national plan to ensure all older people have broadband internet access.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology should develop guidelines for marketing and instructional materials to ensure that consumers understand the operational requirements, benefits and risks of varous monitoring technologies.
• Interdisciplinary and translational research should be conducted on robotics, advanced mobility technologies, communications technology with special emphasis on emergency situations, cognitive training and home monitoring.

Read the complete report.