Objective: The gap between current technological innovation and its application in the human environment has markedly affected where, how, why, and when women age.
Design: The lack of "fit" between the person and the environment has resulted in premature aging and the escalation of disease states, both psychological and physiological.
Materials and Methods: Despite major technological advances, women continue to live in an antiquated world. A survey of current technologies, which could materially offset the psychological and physiological risks inherent in an antiquated environment, indicates that they are virtually non-existent. Such advances include alteration of the living environment to include automated and self-monitoring homes, automated assistance in activities of daily living, patient surveillance and safety features, new gravity-free devices for mobility, and microelectronic advances for the delivery of psychological, medical, and social services, as well as home health care.
Results: The freedom and independence and the health care promised by recent technological advances has not been reflected in the home setting, in institutions providing medical services to older women, nor in the lifestyles of older women.
Conclusion: The environment in which women experience aging is older than they, and, substantially, more wrinkled.
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