CREATE I / CREATE II

A center within the Center on Aging, the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement, or CREATE, is a multi-site center involving the University of Miami, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Pittsburgh, and Florida State University.

Funded by the National Institute on Aging, the objectives of the center include:

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(繁體中文)
  • To advance the existing knowledge-base regarding aging, cognition, and the performance of everyday tasks requiring the use of technology
  • To develop a comprehensive database on aging and technology that contains information on user preferences and needs
  • To identify problems with existing systems
  • To find efficient design solutions
  • To disseminate the center's outcomes to the service and scientific communities and business and industry

An active and growing program, the center uses a multi-disciplinary approach and collaborates with colleges from across the University including the Office of Technology Transfer, the Miami Area Geriatric Education Center, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Department of Psychology, the Department of Epidemiology, and the Department of Neurology.

The center's goal is to help older people to adapt successfully to the "information age" and ensure that they receive the maximum potential benefits from existing and emerging technologies. The foci include issues related to system design, implementation, and user support. A broad range of technologies across a grand range of tasks is included:

  • Technology based work task (e.g. telecommuting)
  • Home/Service settings - making system user friendly
  • Health care information and decision making
  • Life-long learning and creativity
  • Enhancing communication and reducing isolation
  • The effectiveness of technology in assisting with home- and community - based care

An extensive cross-sectional research program, the center focuses on making technology more useful and usable by older adult populations. A variety of application areas are currently being examined - such as continued employment for elder adults - by examining a variety of technology, from the use of the Internet and telephone interactive menu system to ATM machines.

CREATE II

The focus of CREATE II will be on applications of technology within the contexts of real world tasks and environments. The Center will build on findings from CREATE I and examine issues related to the successful implementation and use of technology by older adults in real world settings. The emphasis of the proposed research programs will be on health care applications, work/employment, and the use of technology within the home to facilitate safety/security and everyday task performance.

The Center will continue to involve the collaboration between the University of Miami, Florida State University, and Georgia Institute of Technology. As in CREATE I each of the sites will have interrelated but independent research programs. The outcomes of the research programs will include design guidelines for the development and implementation of technical systems. In addition, the projects will generate an extensive database on aging, component abilities, psycho-social measures, and measures related to the use and perceptions of technical systems.