Are Gadgets Made for the Elderly Condescending?

Photo Courtesy of www.Geeky-Gadgets.com

TechRadar.com writer Gary Marshall’s recently penned a thoughtful, controversial, and provocative piece on the state of technology for seniors, the not-so-subtly titled “Stop Insulting the Elderly with Crappy Technology.”

Marshall argues that growing old is difficult enough for many individuals; seniors don’t need to be bombarded with pricey and patronizing technological “innovations.”

Take a bow, Sagem, and take a bow, Broadband Computer Company. You’ve both sat down and thought, “Hmmm! What can we make for the generation that invented the personal computer, the internet and most of the technological innovations we take for granted as they move into their twilight years?”The answer you came up with was “Expensive crap a toddler would find too simple.” Nice!

Drenched in snarkiness, his tone is a bit uncouth but the thrust of his argument should not be disregarded: we shouldn’t over-rely on gadgets made specifically for the elderly. Just because someone is in their 70s, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the individual needs/wants a novice, glow-in-the-dark, remote control with big rubbery buttons.

Of course, we shouldn’t ignore the individual physiological trends that commonly accompany aging and deny seniors the benefits of products with elder friendly features either. It’s really just about finding that ideal balance and comfort level for seniors that want to engage with technology. We don’t agree with every point that Marshall makes but at the end of the day, we think it is essential to have a critical and discerning understanding of technology for seniors. Thank you Gary Marshall for contributing to the dialogue.

Stop Insulting the Elderly with Crappy Technology – (TechRadar)