Representing the 'older end user'? Challenging the role of social scientists in the field of 'active and assisted living'

As digital technologies have gained vast relevance in contemporary societies, technological assistance and support has also become an important topic in the field of care. Despite the fact that older adults are often framed as ‘laggards’ in the innovation process, they have become one major target group for technology development. This poses challenges to care recipients and infrastructures, but also to research in the field of gerontechnologies. In this debate article, we raise some fundamental questions about the role that social sciences play in the field of active assisted living and propose new directions for research on ageing and technologies.