Gerotechnology: a new kind of care for aging? An analysis of the relationship between older people and technology.

Healthcare systems in aging societies need to find new solutions in the provision of care and treatment of older people. Gerotechnologies play a crucial role in the "aging-in-place" process. This article offers a critical overview of gerotechnological studies and will suggest a new approach in the study of the relationship between aging and technologies. Some trajectories of analysis and theoretical models are presented to underline the different perspectives in the discipline. Critical positions highlight the lack of theoretical analysis, mainly in relation to the complex social phenomenon of aging related to technology. Conclusions outline a relational approach to gerotechnologies: an analysis of the interactions between technological artifacts, users, and the context in which technologies are used. This approach expands the view from the technical potential of the technology to the way elderly people use technology, and suggests innovative care and cure strategies for aging.