If that is true, then current demographic assumptions may even underestimate the magnitude of our challenge. Assistive medical devices available to seniors are also becoming more powerful. Only five years ago, the notion of laser vision correction was hardly known to most Americans. But over 1.5 million Americans had this procedure in 1999. And retinal devices, which marry solar and camcorder technologies, are being developed to restore sight to a potentially large number of seniors who have suffered macular or retinal degradation.
Technology also holds great promise in the fight against hearing loss.
For example, cochlear devices are now becoming more routinely employed to significantly restore hearing to some who are otherwise profoundly deaf. Already the impacts of early efforts have been observed, as geriatricians are seeing early trends of a general decline in disability . There Will Come Soft Rains, he envisions, for the first time, a home that provides all that is required for its occupants. The home in that story furnished all the comforts and services needed, maintained itself, and interacted with the environment. A senior or disabled person would have been perfectly cared-for in such a home.