Technogenarians: Studying Health and Illness Through an Ageing, Science, and Technology Lens

Science and technology have become central to the daily experiences of health and illness for older people, from pharmaceuticals to walkers and cell phones. This has resulted in 'technogenarians' − technologically savvy older people. In investigating elders' experiences of health, illness, science, and technology, the authors emphasize the need to put ageing, science, and technology at the centre of analyses of health and illness.

Technogenarians adds theoretical and empirical depth to our understanding of two concurrent trends: firstly, the biomedical aspects of ageing bodies, minds, and emotions, including the development of anti-ageing or longevity medicine; and secondly, the rise of gerontechnology industries and professions, which largely accept the ageing processes and provide technology to assist the changes brought on by ageing. The book theorizes how and where these two trends overlap and differ in relation to ageism, health, and illness.