Assistive gadgets and technology reduce an individual's reliance on others while also improving their quality of life. Wheelchairs, visual aids, hearing aids, and specialist computer software and hardware systems help the elderly and disabled improve their hearing, vision, mobility, and communication. Each year, about 7.7 million new instances of dementia are recorded, according to an article published in the Assistive Technology Blog (ATB) in September 2016. The number of dementia patients is predicted to rise to 135.5 million by 2050. Alzheimer's patients are assisted by devices such as clocks and reminders, fall detectors, activity monitors, intercoms, and computer aids.
According to the United States Census Bureau's study ‘An Aging World: 2015,' the geriatric population will grow from 8.5 percent of the world population in 2015 to 12 percent in 2030. Asia and Latin America are the two regions most likely to see a fast-aging of their populations. According to market research, the elderly and disabled assistive devices industry has a huge market potential, particularly in Asia and Latin America.
According to World Health Organization statistics, only 5%–15% of the population in low and middle-income nations who require assistive devices for the aged and disabled have access to them (WHO). As a result, WHO and its cooperating institutions are striving to improve the accessibility of assistive technologies for the elderly and disabled in order to better serve the patient population. Among these activities are the following: organizing regional and national workshops, gatherings, and seminars, creating a database of available assistive devices and technology, Creating normative guidelines, assisting states in developing policies and programs related to assistive technologies.