About this Research Topic
Undoubtedly we live in a fast ageing society in which the rising older population is faced with numerous problems, such as low levels of every day activity, cognitive and functional impairments and incapacity to live independently. All these demand for assistance and today’s challenge is whether technology can actually offer and afford such assistance. To this extent, the questions to ask are how to create (gentle) coaching systems that can empower spaces of everyday life and activity; how to make them utilize a user’s profile and transparently comprehend what happens within it (the context) while the user simply interacts with the real world; what is the best way and form to provide guidance in the most transparent manner; how can one develop and/or exploit technology to help older adults or other vulnerable groups live independently while maintaining their physical, cognitive, mental and social well-being.
Keywords: behavioural change, healthy aging, virtual environment, recommender systems, self empowerment, virtual coaching, assistive and pervasive technologies, context-awareness, intervention, coaching strategy, decision support systems
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