A factor to be considered with old age is cognitive aging. Information technologies need to be centered on factors that define cognition. This article highlights some of the important conceptual models and theories that govern the design of such systems. The main focus is to look at the different information processing technologies that are presently used for enabling better functional performance. As baby boomers grow older, there exists a growing demand for a good support system that can ease their burdens. Technology is ubiquitous in most social contexts in industrialized countries, and has become an integral component of most activities in everyday life. The advent of technology has shown promising results in various fields such as the delivery of care and in-vehicle driving technology by focusing on the needs of older adults and placing them at the center of this transformation. Such systems would improve and empower not just the elderly but also their families while reducing some of the burden on them and increasing independence. However, there continues to exist a digital divide amongst the elderly population that use technology less, causing them to become disenfranchised and disadvantaged. Elderly and technology Although older adults are increasingly using technology, they typically have more difficulty than younger adults in learning to use and operate them. The successful adoption and usage of new technology is becoming increasingly important for functional independence in the lives of adults both young and old. Older adults are now more than ever faced with a wide range of new technologies on a daily basis. Thus an important task in the field of gerontology is to develop training tools that can aid and improve accessibility for older adults. What makes this complex is the need for age-specific tools that match the cognitive and perceptual capabilities of this age group. Cognition Age-related differences in cognitive functioning have been known to stem from the reduction of cognitive resources available, thus impairing older adults’ ability to carry out cognitively demanding tasks. Cognitive aging causes changes in mechanisms related to information processing and working memory function. According to cognitive psychologist Fergus I. M. Craik, these mechanisms are responsible for age-related speed of decline in performance of mental processing; online cognitive resources available at any given time to process, store, retrieve, and transform information (working memory); focusing on a target; paying attention; and sensory processing of information. The inherent relationship between cognitive abilities