By Vincent Lim and Joanna Scott
This story was originally published in Partners, a publication of the USC School of Social Work.
USC Trustee Daniel M. Tsai and his wife, Irene Chen, MA ’83, were concerned about the growing aging society in Taiwan, a country that has faced challenges with low fertility rates in recent decades. Both have aging parents themselves and wanted to find a way to empower older adults through technology.
They found it in a research initiative led by Shinyi Wu, associate professor at the USC School of Social Work and associate director of innovations in health at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging.
In collaboration with Hsinyi (Cindy) Hsiao, research assistant professor; Iris Chi, Chinese-American Golden Age Association/Frances Wu Chair; and Yi-Chuan Tseng, project manager, Wu explored whether tablet computers could be an effective medium among older adults to prevent disease, decrease isolation and improve their general well-being.
“If we spend more time on older adults, their full potential can be developed,” Chen said. “Their wisdom can be passed down to the young generation, and they deserve opportunities to learn new things.”
Tsai and Chen funded the Intergenerational Mobile Technology Opportunities Program (IMTOP) through their charitable foundation. To date, over 100 older adults in Taipei, Taiwan, have now participated in an initial training program for self-care management of diabetes.
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