AgeLab’s Joseph Coughlin Testifies

at U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

May 2, 2004

Joseph F. Coughlin, Director of the MIT AgeLab testified before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging on April 27, 2004 on technology-enabled innovations to support an aging society.

Dr. Coughlin’s testimony, Assistive Technologies For Independent Aging: Opportunities And Challenges, highlighted the work being done at the AgeLab. Projects include technology development around retail health services, telemedicine, transportation, and research on the policy and market barriers to market innovation to support an aging society.

Dr. Coughlin’s key policy recommendations to the Senate Committee were that the Government should promote innovation by creating markets through tax incentives for companies to develop and commercialize new technologies and for caregivers to use discretionary income to purchase technology-enabled services to assist their aging parents.

Among those testifying were researchers and representatives from Intel, University of Michigan and the Alzheimer’s Association. Please click here to view the Senate hearing, witness list, photos and Dr. Coughlin’s testimony.