Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Possible ways of increasing such inclusion:
developing buildings (e.g. gymnasiums, community centres) that are well
equipped and accessible to healthy users and also elderly and disabled people;
•
organizing courses and activities that are given and delivered by experts and
qualified people, in which subjects of different ages and with various abilities
can interact (examples are team games, theatrical activities, language courses,
computer courses, mixed-games tournaments);
•
planning alternative solutions to ensure the participation of elderly and
disabled people in these activities (e.g. by providing buses that pick old people
up and take them to the location of the activities);
•
organizing final events (e.g. exhibitions or tournaments) that show and inform
the general population about the results of the courses or activities.
•
Stimulating and facilitating old and disabled people to undertake such activities is
basic to increasing the integration of such individuals in society, in awakening public
opinion about problems related to everyday life of these subjects, in overcoming
general prejudices about the elderly and disabled persons and in improving the sense of
fulfilment and quality of life of every member of the community.
Scenario 7.
Hobbies
Many older people like to read topics or magazines. The reading ability depends not only on visual health
but with increasing age also on the actual constitution. Thus the person should have the choice to select the
medium by which the content is communicated to him. Feeling mentally or visually tired user should be
able to hear the audio version of his/her preferred topic. To this end subject is able to ask his/her home
entertainment system by a vocal interface for the preferred topic. If he/she had already started to read the
paper version of the topic, user requests to start reading the audio version at a defined position. The home
entertainment system selects the optimal audio device regarding the room the person is in and plays the
audio topic applying advanced signal processing for compensation of hearing loss, e.g. noise reduction and
dynamic compression.
3.1.3.
Cultural and experience exchanges
Besides sports and hobbies, also actively participating in cultural and experience
exchanges are ways of expressing a person's personality, are means for social
interaction, and could help to improve self-confidence. Especially, passing on
experiences strengthens the self-confidence, prevents the lost of knowledge and skills,
keeps elderly people active, and assigns them an important role in the society.
The following are examples of the different activities that could be arranged and
supported:
•
Formative activities:
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improving education, learning how to use new technologies for
communication with family and friends, entertainment;
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Internet-based mass media, chats and forums where people from different
countries and with different religions and ideologies could meet and discuss,
read local and national newspapers, etc.
Experience exchanges:
−
•
interest in painting and drawing, music, theatre, films, literature, etc.;
contact with different generations;
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