The technology revolution of the last few decades has reshaped the way people get information, work, communicate, shop, and more. Digital channels and tools are more ubiquitous and powerful than ever, and new innovations are being launched every year to meet the changing needs and challenges of aging. USC Leonard Davis and its Center for Digital Aging aim to harness the power of social media and new technologies to help older adults, caregivers, and related businesses and services as well as empower older adults to use technology and understand its benefits and risks.

Center for Digital Aging projects include:

  • Virtual companions for cognitively impaired older adults

  • Video games to improve balance and help prevent falls

  • A web-based information source for identifying elder abuse

  • A research-based app to support caregivers

Meet the Director

Elizabeth Zelinski, director of the Center for Digital Aging, is a professor of gerontology and psychology and holds the Rita and Edward Polusky Chair in Education and Aging at the USC Leonard Davis School.

READ MORE ABOUT DR. ZELINSKI

Dean Cohen on Digital Aging

“You might be wondering to yourself, ‘What exactly is digital aging?’ I think of it this way: everything we do these days has a digital component, whether it’s communicating with friends and family or managing our finances and purchases. Whether you want to plan a trip, buy a movie ticket or look up the side effects of a new medication, more and more of us depend on electronic solutions. Why should aging be any different?”

–Dean Pinchas Cohen

READ DEAN'S MESSAGE ON DIGITAL AGING

Digital Aging in the News

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Are Robotic Pets as Good as Real Ones for Older Adults? (Next Avenue)

Next Avenue spoke to USC Leonard Davis School Professor Elizabeth Zelinski about the pros and cons of robotic pets for older adults, especially individuals with memory problems. From the article: Zelinski believes that for the older adult to have a therapeutic benefit, stimulation from the pet who provides some novelty is…

AGHE Honors Davis School Faculty Members

The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education will present awards to Dean Pinchas Cohen and Professor Elizabeth Zelinski at the organization’s upcoming annual meeting.

What’s Hot in Aging Research at USC?

USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology experts give an in-depth look into the past, present, and future of aging discovery and development during the 6th annual What’s Hot in Aging at USC Symposium at the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center on April 20, 2015.