老人福祉科技影響成功老化歷程之研究

A Study on the Process of How Gerontechnology Influences the Succesful Aging

黃國維(Guo-Wei Huang)

指導教授 ： 陳燕禎

元智大學/人文社會學院/社會暨政策科學學系/碩士(2012年)

摘要

研究目的：台灣戰後嬰兒潮的人口已正式邁入老年期，65歲以上老人至2011年底已達10.9％，且行政院經建會推估至2032年將達到25.8%，國家要因應這前所未有的老人生活的照護需求和有效達成成功老化的目標，發展老人福祉科技是一個最為便利的手段與方向。故本研究旨在探討台灣推行福祉科技的實務歷程和設計理念，並針對老人使用科技產品及福祉科技推展面臨的問題進行分析。
研究方法：本研究採質化研究的深度訪談法，瞭解使用者的需求、福祉科技產品及服務供給者的現況。深度訪談對象有三類：1.自立生活的老人；2. 照顧人員；3. 福祉科技業者及學者專家，再依此三方進行資料交叉檢視，共完成訪談18人。
研究發現：本研究發現福祉科技的接受與否和使用者的過往生活背景及生活型態有極大關係。本研究將福祉科技接受與推行分成個人接受因素、供給研發困難、法令規章配合及環境與市場成熟四個向度討論。在高齡長者個人因素方面有以下幾點接受困難：受限傳統孝道觀念、科技經驗不足、害怕被標籤為老人、產品資訊不流通及輔具的使用可能加速失能情形。供給面研發難題有：市場規模過小營運成本難降、產業先行者需大量前期資金周轉試誤、開發者追求高級技術應用及廠商追求高獲利產品。政策法令面待改進的地方有：法律對遠距醫療行為規範守舊、產業政策過度醫療化及傳統健保及醫療資源未整合。市場要能成熟則在社會環境有幾點需配合解決：科技介入生活引發新的道德爭議、照護機構處弱勢經費並不充足及對老年生活刻板印象難除。唯有在科技的使用者端、產品製造端及服務開發端和政府公共政策等層面，需要同時關心老人生活的現實需求和福祉，才能多方同時受益，達成高齡化社會活躍老化的目的。
研究結論：生活機能的便利是大家都需要的，而身體功能退化的老人更為需要。老人在日常生活中的各方面需求，除了在整體物理硬體配備的規劃外，落實導入人文關懷的軟體價值，才是達到科技產品的福祉化理想的重要元素。本研究建議從通用化設計的概念著手，讓科技產品兼顧老人需求為方向，以達到實用化及普及化之目的，而政府應該站在第一線整合產官學的資源，有效利用當前台灣科技實力，以發展台灣老人福祉科技的領導優勢。

關鍵字

福祉科技 ； 高齡社會 ； 老化自立生活 ； 通用化設計 ； 成功老化

並列摘要

Aim
In Taiwan, The population of Post-World War II Baby Boom has formally come into the stage of old-age. The proportion of the elderly population over 65 has reached 10.9% till the end of 2011. The Council for Economic Planning and Development estimated the ratio will reach 25.8% in 2032. It is one the most convenient and immediate measures for the government to develop Gerontechnology in response to deal with this unprecedented elderly daily-life care in our country. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the practical history and design philosophy of the implementation of Gerontechnology in Taiwan, analyzing the feasibility of technology products by the elderly for Gerontechnologcal promotion in the social ackowledgement.
Method
This study adopts an approach of depth-interviews for qualitative research to understand the needs of the users and the current products and services in supply. The interviewees in this depth-interview can be devided into three categories: (1) the elderly living independently; (2) the staff from gerontechnology industry, including academics and experts; (3) elderly care-take personnel. This study is completed by interviewing 18 people in cross examination.
Results
The study found that there is a great relationgship between the users’ acceptance of gerontechnological products or services and their life styles and backgrounds. In Taiwan, the difficulties in gerontechnological implementation can be divided into four major categories to be discussed:the (1) the personal factors, (2) the R&D difficulties of supply side, (3) the co-ordination of laws and (4) the marketing maturity of the market and environment. The personal factors : (1) the limitations of traditional filial piety, (2) insufficient elderly experience in science and technology, (3) fear of being stigmatized as the elderly, (4) product information is not widely disseminated and (5) the use of assistance devices may worsen their state of disability .The R&D difficulties of supply side : (1) the market is too small to reduce the cost, (2) initial investment in market development requires a lot of money and (3) the developers and producers are oriented advanced technology and lucrative products. The co-ordination of laws : (1) conservative telemedicine decree, (2) the industrial policy narrowly emphasizing on medication and (3) ineffective integration of medical care and resources. The marketing maturity depends on several factors : (1) moral arguments could be brought forth by the involving technology in the life, (2) the elderly care centers are so weak and lacking of funding and (3) to improve the trditional stereotyped image of old age is challenging. Only when the public concerns from users, the manufacturers and service developers and the government policy-makers are attained in common to care about the elderly immediate daily needs and well-being, can we benefit multiply to activate and renovate our aging society.
Conclusion
We all need living conveniences in life, the elderly with physical degradation are in particular. In addition to the hardware equipments, the software ones of humanity value are also the major contributing factors to succeed in the overall gerontechnological implementation to take good care of the elderly in all ways. This study suggests the designs be processed in the universal design concept direction, making the technology take care of the elderly need to achieve the purpose of practical application and popularization. The Government should take the lead in the first line to integrate the resources from the industry, the governmental units and the academic circle, effectively using our scientific strength in technology to develop our global leading advantage of gerontechnology.

並列關鍵字

Successful aging ； Gerontechnology ； Aging society ； Independent living of elderly population ； Universal design

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