The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a special hearing to lend an ear to the Center for Aging Services Technologies, a division of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, about the advancement of technologies for seniors.

CAST Chairman Eric Dishman urged Congress to bring together the governmental agencies that address seniors and aging, as well as take another look at cross-agency funding initiatives, reimbursement policies for technology, and removing competition barriers to American business. The Senate Special Committee on Aging is chaired by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID).

“Help us find a mechanism to bring together the right parties and harness the innovation potential to transform our healthcare and long-term care systems before we reach crisis mode,” said Dishman, also the director of the Proactive Health Lab at Intel Corporation, referring to the aging demographics.

CAST demonstrated a robot, sensors and memory devices at the hearing. Although early research has focused on providing cognitive assistance for seniors with impaired memories, Dishman said to watch for innovative assistive technologies, as well as devices for cardiovascular disease, cancer, medication compliance and better fitness and nutrition.