It's Gee-Whiz for the Golden Years

Researchers dreaming up such high-tech innovations to make the lives of senior citizens easier are convening this week at an unusual technology exhibition at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Woodley Park. The event, timed to coincide with a once-a-decade White House Conference on Aging, is open to the public today. While new tech products are usually focused on the young and hip, the technologists at the 30 or so companies making an appearance here are taking the same components used in, say, the latest flashy "smart phone" to help those in their golden years maintain control over their lives. A watch from Intel Corp. could beam medication reminders to a patient's television set -- or place a discreet reminder phone call, for those wanting more privacy. Chester the Talking Pill, designed at the University of Rochester, is a wall-mounted LCD screen with a built-in software avatar trained to tell patients anything about their prescription drugs.