#  Research 

 



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**Introduction: Harvard Social Technology for Global Aging Research Initiative**

The goal of the Social Technology for Global Aging Research Initiative (STGA) is to create unique solutions that will assist individuals, families, and communities in coping more effectively with the disabilities of older persons by mitigating functional limitations caused by frailty and other sources of mobility problems that typically lead to isolation, cognitive decline, and depression. We will also address problems related to sensory losses, dementia, and mental illnesses, recognizing that these problems often overlap.

   ![Family caregiver](/sites/g/files/omnuum5401/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/hstga/files/spouse_caregiver.jpg?itok=EhIDEyez) 

 

Developing and identifying socially and culturally appropriate technological solutions to improve care for older persons with frailty and dementia is important; equally critical is integrating technology with social systems designed for the delivery of care— a complex process typically involving social, cultural, and ethical considerations. Effective social technology requires research efforts to integrate technological innovation with complex social systems to improve the quality of care and reduce the burden of caregiving for older people.

The details of the social technologies have yet to be fully developed, we bring to this activity particular orientations and aspirations. We encourage multidisciplinary collaboration among social scientists (e.g., anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, economists), engineers of different disciplines, and medical and public health researchers to maintain integrated views that are neither reductionistic nor inhumane.

Multidisciplinary teams are essential to address older persons’ needs. The interactions and conversations among engineers and social scientists will optimize solutions and create new knowledge and innovations that are tailored appropriately. The policy framework within which care takes place will then increasingly tie together priorities, funding, and the local network of social services to health administration. Including Ethical and Humanistic Standards in Evaluation of Innovation, the value of an innovative solution to a care problem should be measured not by whether the technology employed departs from a previous technological method, but by how much the innovation improves the quality of care or its delivery and how compatible it is with local ethical standards and humanistic concerns.