The healthcare needs of senior citizens are expected to surge as baby-boomers start retiring. As a result, this trend will put tremendous stress on the already stretched and cost spiraling healthcare systems. Of special interest in this project is senior citizens healthcare. Senior citizens are challenged in ways fundamentally different from the general population. Receiving services in a convenient way is not a matter of choice for them, but of necessity. Failing health accompanied with limited mobility may force senior citizens into unhealthy choices. Recent advances in Web standards and technologies offer a cost effective leverage to maintain and use large healthcare information systems. New studies suggest that senior citizens are now the fastest growing group of World Wide Web users. This pilot project, a collaborative effort between Virginia Tech and the Virginia Department for the Aging (VDA), focuses on the development of a Web service middleware infrastructure. The infrastructure will enable the seamless interoperation of the VDA's autonomous information systems based on new Web service standards. Web services are modular, XML-based software components that can be discovered, accessed, and composed using widely accepted industry standards. The proposed middleware will enable senior citizens to request and receive services using a one-stop shop interface. A graphical user interface that adapts to the limited abilities of senior citizens is proposed to be designed as a Web service providing a homogeneous design framework. The protection of senior citizens privacy is paramount. Agent-based techniques congruent with Web services are proposed to enforce privacy protection. The proposed pilot project will demonstrate the feasibility of using a Web service middleware for the purpose of providing convenient, effective, and customized services to senior citizens. Web services on the Web are poised to play the same role as data has played in database management systems. Two sites, Virginia Tech and VDA, will be used for the deployment of the Web Service middleware prototype. T he deliverable is the proof of concept. Three specific research issues w ill be investigated in this project: (1) dynamic Web service composition, and (2) privacy preservation, and (3) adaptive presentation. The prototype will be evaluated and tested by a focus group of senior citizens selected by VDA and staff members at Virginia Tech.
