
Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place
Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities (RERC TechSAge) is a collaborative grant center based at Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Georgia State University. Founded in 2013, TechSAge features multidisciplinary research, development, and training projects that are dedicated to understanding the needs of, and developing supportive technologies for, people aging with long-term vision, hearing, and mobility disabilities.

TechSAge State of the Science Conference
TechSAge will host its second State of the Science Conference May 4-5, 2022 at the Illini Center in Chicago, IL. This two-day event will highlight research advances and priorities in technologies to support people aging with disability. Sessions will focus on our four areas of research: Support Safety and Independence in Everyday Home Activities; Maintain Health and Wellness; Enhance Connectivity and Community Mobility; and Facilitate Caregiving. This will be a hybrid event with the opportunity to participate in-person or join remotely via Zoom.

Featured Article
Insights on an Automated Fall Detection Device by Older Adult Wheelchair Users
Falls are a significant concern for older adults who use wheelchairs and scooters, as many require assistance to recover from a fall. In the event of a fall, automated fall detection devices could immediately notify care partners and expedite recovery. However, existing fall alert devices on the market are designed for ambulatory individuals, and there are currently none validated for wheeled device users. As a preliminary step in developing a fall detection and alert device for this population, TechSAge researchers explored user preferences on the ideal design of these devices. A new article in Disability & Health Journal highlights findings from interviews with older adults who use wheelchairs or scooters on their desired specifications for a fall detection and alert device and their perceptions about ease of use and usefulness. Read the full open access article by Rice, Fliflet, Frechette, Brokenshire, Abou, Presti, Mahajan, Sosnoff, and Rogers.
Latest Publications

Staff Spotlight: Maya Dye
Maya Dye is an undergraduate research assistant for the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. With TechSAge, Maya supports the Aging Concerns, Challenges, and Everyday Solution Strategies (ACCESS) Study, which explores the everyday challenges of older adults with long-term disabilities. In this study, Maya is involved with screening, administering questionnaires, and interviewing participants whose hearing loss was acquired after the development of speech (late-deafened). Maya also supports the TechSAge Participant Registry by running queries in the database to identify individuals who may qualify for research studies. Maya is studying Speech and Hearing Science with the goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist. In Maya’s spare time, she enjoys exercising, spending time with friends and family, and getting outdoors when the Illinois weather permits.

Become a Research Participant!
We maintain a registry of names of people who are interested in being contacted about research studies. Opportunities include: surveys, focus groups, interviews, and technology evaluations. Depending on the study, you may be able to participate on the phone, online, on campus, at your home, or in other locations.
Interested in joining? We need to ask a you a few questions about yourself to see which studies you might be eligible for and match your interests with our researchers. Complete the brief survey (5-10 minutes) online here:
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TechSAge research is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number #90REGE0006-01-00 ).
NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).