The aging population and its needs

Now that science and technology have contributed to our living longer, the world´s population is aging dramatically. The oldest people - those over age 80 - represent the greatest challenge in providing health-related services and identifying ways to assist them in maintaining independence. The US National Institutes on Health´s National Center on medical rehabilitation research studies mechanisms, modalities, and devices that improve, restore, or replace lost, underdeveloped, or deteriorating function. The NCMRR´s model for viewing research and development in technology and aging comprises five levels of intervention (or research and development) with each level focusing on a different area. The cellular level focuses on pathophysiology, the organ level on impairment, the action level on functional limitation, the task-role level on disability, and the social-limitations level on barriers resulting from attitudes and policies.