19

Today’s digital revolution makes it possible to produce technologies that become “assistants and therapists” and can be devoted to the specific needs of aging. However, due to the diversity of disabilities of older people, their needs, expectations, abilities, and skills need to be diagnosed in order to provide them with devices with the most appropriate functions and uses. In addition, these devices must be evaluated to determine their potential, actual effectiveness, and usability. This paper examines how to choose the best match between a health care technology and age-related challenges, and how to evaluate the results of this match. In this context, we will use a tool and methodology called Design for Adapted Devices (DAD). DAD attempts to develop adaptive systems based on a comprehensive diagnosis of human needs and challenges, taking into account several dimensions of user diversity such as needs and abilities (motor, cognitive, etc.), and to measure deficits that “modulate user performance” (social support, experience, strategies, etc.). DAD provides prospective data to define future assistive technologies and provides information on their evaluation.