LAUSR

In the very near future, technological and digital progress will certainly occupy an increasingly important place in new cost effective models of care and everyday clinical practice. Geriatricians must face the challenges related to their education, culture, skills, and clinical practice. However, they also need to sustain daily functioning and enhance the quality of care and quality of life of their aged patients [1]. Indeed, the main purpose of geriatric medicine, in addition to the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases, is to maintain cognitive and physical function. With this in mind, technological innovations could be helpful. Gerontechnology is as a multidisciplinary model that uses technology to innovate in the geriatric field [2,3]. The International Society of Gerontechnology (ISG) considers that ‘‘[gerontechnology] creates solutions to extend the working phase in society by maximizing the vital and productive years in the life span, consequently reducing costs in later life’’. Indeed, while ageing is one of the main issues of this century, we are lucky to enjoy long life, and many countries are looking to Europe to see how it is coping with the huge increase in its oldest population. Digital and technical revolutions offer a great opportunity to propose new models of care and create new multidisciplinary jobs. The recognized expertise of Europeans in gerontechnology could confer significant and appreciable value on us in a competitive and globalized economy, as emerging countries will have to face the same demographic ‘‘problems’’ in the near future. Nevertheless, although a recent report [4] demonstrates that in older adults, use of technology is on the rise, some older adults remain isolated from digital life altogether. Therefore, while the development of technology is moving forward very quickly, a lot of questions are left without response, particularly regarding today’s oldest populations.