Most of us have heard the slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” But in the case of this post, I will share something that happened in Vegas on January 10th. The 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, which has been running for 41 years, held its first daylong exhibition and conference wholly devoted to aging and technology.

Aptly titled “Silvers Summit,” this unique show highlighted the latest gadgets, games, medical technology and media “that keep ‘silvers’ engaged, entertained, connected and healthy.” Not only is it a worthy objective, it is certainly a blossoming field considering the rapid graying of our population.

An article by Silver Planet outlined a handful of new products featured at the exposition, ranging from a senior-friendly cell phone to a home monitoring system called GrandCare. A number of products tailored for seniors’ ease of use were also presented, among them, laptop computers with single latches that can be easily opened with one handl desktop displays on dual hinges, thus allowing the senior with multifocal lenses to lower the screen to his comfort level; and an FM-radio that removes commercials and deejay babble (which undoubtedly appeals to people of all ages!).

Besides providing an opportunity to show off these cutting-edge products, the Summit included conference sessions on “…lifestyle and dynamics of senior consumers, the growing brain fitness market, innovations in wireless bandages and pills, ways to effectively monitor elderly relatives, and trends in personal health care information.”

I’d love to attend one of these shows. Although I don’t consider myself a gadget fanatic by any means — I only recently acquired an iPod and I refuse to buy a Blackberry — I do recognize that some of these new products are quite useful and can benefit the older consumer who is trying to stay active and independent in today’s fast-paced, media and technology-driven world. I admire those seniors who keep in touch with their grandkids on Facebook or have a cell-phone that meets their needs, even if it’s just a basic, no-frills model like the one highlighted in Silver Planet’s article.

During my senior living days, I always made sure that the monthly entertainment calendar included activities that would help seniors keep up with their techno-savvy grandkids. I taught classes on computers and cell phones and became the unofficial “Geek Squad” for the building, making visits to resident’s rooms to do anything from adjusting the magnification on a monitor to fixing a printer jam. Many times, these visits and classes were extremely challenging (I had “students” of all levels of expertise and with varying degrees of vision & hearing impairments), but seeing the look on a resident’s face after sending and receiving her first e-mail message made it all worthwhile.

What’s your favorite gadget? What piece of technology was the most challenging for you to master? Share your thoughts here!

- Michelle Seitzer