Guidelines for Discussion Group Leaders

Background

Longevity is one of the great achievements of the twentieth century. As the number of older Americans increases, it is important that we recognize that longevity is relevant to all of our lives, regardless of age. Successful aging is a product of careful and thoughtful long-term decisions made by both individuals and societies. How do we prepare an infrastructure for the aging population that will enable them to be integrated into society? The Federal government can play a very active role in preparing our country for the increased numbers of older Americans. Providing a science and technology infrastructure that aims to promote the key principles of older Americans is essential.

We are asking for you to help devise a technology framework for how to accomplish and ensure that our nation is prepared to meet the needs of our older Americans. OSTP and the Agencies on Aging convened several agency representatives in 1999 and learned that many federal agencies are interested in broad aspects of technology and aging, including ways to address the intersection of these two areas; key questions that came out of the meeting include: How are we currently using technology to serve older adults, and how are older adults using technology? How might we use technology to better serve older adults and how might older adults be encouraged to use technology? How do we get from where we are now to where we want to be?

Objectives of This Forum

The objective of this Forum is to identify collaborative technology transfer, and technology development and deployment opportunities for government, industry and academic communities that help to improve the independence, mobility, security, and health of aging Americans (and their families and friends) who continue to live at home and work, shop and enjoy recreational activities in their communities. In support of a unified goal, breakout groups will work to identify current and prospective barriers to those opportunities, present and potential mechanisms of support, and areas where additional technology research, development, demonstration or deployment is needed.

The Forum focuses on these potential opportunities and barriers, and identify and prioritize recommendations that can be articulated as a set of near-term opportunities as well as several long-term (five to ten years out) “grand challenges” to federal policymakers. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy intends to use these recommendations to formulate policy initiatives that can be used as a basis to propose new programs for the next Administration.

Scope

The majority of ideas and recommendations formulated at this Forum should benefit most Americans. For this reason, the Forum must stay focused on primary objectives. It is important that discussion groups not be diverted to the study of individual subject areas, to the detriment of the mandate to formulate policy recommendations. The purpose of the Forum is not to debate, for example, the relative merits of disability technologies, various approaches to institutional care, or the biochemistry of aging. These are important national issues that, in some instances, are the subject of other initiatives. Loss of focus will make it impossible for us to articulate a focused policy proposal that has clear, understandable goals and milestones.

Sequence

The discussion sessions are scheduled from 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM on October 4, with each group reporting back with 10-15 minute presentations starting at 9:05 on October 5. Begin by having the two co-chairs and reporter introduce themselves. Then the rest of the participants introduce themselves. It is up to the co-chairs how the work of facilitating the groups is shared. There is a break from 3:30 to 3:50. Plan to finish up in time to have the co-chairs able to attend the reception at 6:00.

Substance

Within your group, please frame your discussion around the following questions. Think revolutionary – not evolutionary (what is not being done now that should be initiated?):

· What is the mandate for the application of technologies to the challenges of aging in the U.S.? What is the scope of technological application to the challenges?

· Can you identify mechanisms that are currently working well, with regard to technology and aging in the U.S.? Can you identify mechanisms that are not?

· What research is needed, for the nation to make better decisions regarding its policies for meeting its rapidly growing demographic challenges with respect to aging?

· Are there technology-transfer opportunities, (interagency, public-private, business-to-business, etc.) that are currently being overlooked?

· Are there collaboration opportunities (interagency, public-private, business-to-business, etc.) that are currently being overlooked?

· Given the discussion on the mandate, mechanisms that work and don’t work, research needs, and opportunities needed, what are your recommendations to federal policymakers in your area of experience and expertise?

· What can we do right away to make a difference? What overarching “stretch” goal do you believe the nation should undertake to accomplish, ten years out, that would serve to embody most of these recommendations?

Group Organization

The discussion group co-chairs and their contact information is listed below. You may want to contact your session co-chair prior to the meeting to become acquainted and to organize your thoughts about how to conduct your session.

Healthcare and Assistive Technologies	Rory Cooper Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 412-647-1270 rcooper@pitt.edu	Malcom S. Steinberg Princeton University 609-258-3851 msteinberg@molbiol.princeton.edu
Regulatory and Technology-Transfer	Caroline Wagner RAND Corporation 703-413-1100 cwagner@rand.org	Howard Bremer Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation 608-263-2831 HWBREMER@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU
Information Technology Impacts	Gregg Vanderheiden University of Wisconsin 608-263-5788 gv@trace.wisc.edu	Suzanne Iacono National Science Foundation 703-292-8930 siacona@nsf.gov
Mobility, Housing and the Working Environment	Jeffrey Pike National Academies Transportation Research Board and Ford Motor Co. 313-594-2171 jpike@ford.com	Margaret Stineman University of Pennsylvania 215-898-6272 mstinema@mail.med.upenn.edu
Consumer Protection, Security, and Privacy	David Medine Federal Trade Commission and White House Office of Policy Development 202-456-0360 dmedine@opd.oep.gov	Laura Polacheck AARP 202-434-3917 LPOLACHECK@aarp.org

Follow-up

Group co-chairs are asked to distill the main points of discussions and recommendations from each session into a focused list of objectives for presentation to the plenary the next day. Reporters are asked to keep primary notes, and then also help support the co-chair edit those notes on Wednesday evening, in preparation of the presentation.

On Thursday morning, one co-chair from each session will be asked to give a 15-minute presentation of the group’s findings to the plenary. An additional 30 minutes is available during this session for open discussion and integration. Dr. Seelman from the Department of Education will then integrate the findings of the discussion groups in her closing talk. She will use your notes to formulate her talk.

In addition, we may submit the Forum’s findings as a journal and/or newsletter article(s) and hope that your will be able to participate in the preparation of these manuscripts.

Thank you for participating in the Forum, and helping to make the goals a success.