Constructing age and technology as augmentation, not degradation: Exploring what the aged themselves think they need, not what is decided for them

The widespread Western community construction of age as a dependent state has been reflected in many of the studies of technology and the aged. The present paper considers the situation that would obtain if this was reversed, and genuine utilization of the skills and knowledge of the aged applied to their own situations, as appropriate enhancements rather than as imposed assumptions. Examples are given, and the underlying causes of paternalistic `engagement´ models for the elderly, and questions are raised as to the social implications of these persistent myths, the benefits of revising them, and the forces that will make this necessary.