The social and economic implications of the aging population are profound. It extends far beyond the individual older person and the immediate family, touching upon broader society and the global community in unprecedented ways. With aging, the risk of illness and loss of physical function increases, which in turn can lead to cognitive impairment, frailty, and falls. Regular physical activity can bring significant health benefits to people of all ages and has been found to be an important factor in maintaining health in older age. New technological solutions, such as exergames, apps, and VR have great potential to be used to train both physical and cognitive abilities in older adults and are increasingly used in prevention and rehabilitation.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring together a collection of papers that individually and collectively used different technological solutions in prevention and rehabilitation settings for older adults targeting physical and cognitive abilities. In so doing, these insights will identify novel targets for subsequent use in therapeutic and preventive settings for older adults. New solutions in healthcare services that can both increase the efficiency and provide flexible use of resources and competence in the care of older adults is warranted. Integrating technological solutions in the selection and targeting of interventions will potentially reduce lower value activities and their associated environmental impacts and will be highly valuable to develop more sustainable ways to yield healthcare services.
We welcome the submission of manuscripts including, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Research studies (pilot, feasibility, RCT) on the use of technology for improving physical and cognitive abilities in older adults
• The use of technology-based applications, such as videos, exergames, VR and applications to increase physical and cognitive activity in aging
• Systematic reviews on aging and use of technological solutions for enhancing physical and cognitive abilities. and neurological conditions around exergaming/virtual reality and technological advancements for exercise.
• Novel targets identified for use in healthcare aimed towards preventive or rehabilitative measures in older adults
Keywords: Technology-based exercise, older adults, physical activity, cognitive activity
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
