Almost all countries are challenged by the aging demographics, as well as by issues that arise during the changes that often come later in life. Digital ecosystems are being developed to ease or remove the burdens of things such as changing homes, living with a new health condition, adapting to a new living environment, transitioning from working to retirement and so on. These digital systems, also called  Ambient  Assisted  Living  (AAL)  systems,  are  very  diverse,  and  include technologies such as smart homes, robotic systems, tele-health, tele-care monitoring, self-care technologies and community built services and environments. The AAL ecosystems for the life-course include both the technologies and all the decision makers and people affected from the technologies. The new and emerging systems are pushing boundaries to answer the needs of an aging population in their wish to stay connected, social, independent, as well as to age with more dignity and enjoyment. 
However,  there  are  many  challenges  involved  in  developing  these  types  of systems. Developing and deploying innovative multi-stakeholder systems for an emerging,  not  yet  fully  explored,  social  change  is  a  major  challenge.  Growing older, being old and belonging to a demographic group can all mean different things at different times. Older people’s abilities, their life experience, the cultural and social infrastructures that surround them are all diverse. Furthermore, older people may face some sort of physical, sensory or cognitive limitations associated with the biological ageing process. The market for AAL systems and technologies is not yet well enough established to deal with all of these complexities. 
This Special Thematic Session (STS) is following up with our previous calls (AAL Forum 2018, ICCHP 2018) and aims to create a forum to discuss the major issues related to Ambient Assisted Living and related technologies for this phase of  life.  Our  aim  is  to  define  the  changing  role  of  the  technologies  within  the changing context of ageing. 
  
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to: 

• AAL for specific contexts 
• Public services (neighborhood centers, libraries...) 
• Work environments 
• Hospitals, care homes, therapy centers 
• Mobility services, including the automotive sector 
• Social environments (restaurants, event spaces...) 
• Other 

  
Challenges in designing AAL systems as everyday ecosystems 

• New and emerging digital artifacts, environments and technologies 
• Co-design methods, participation techniques 
• Impact assessment and business models to finance 
• Evaluation with older participants 

  
AAL for different geographies 

• Rural, urban and other diversities 
• Low cost AAL: rethinking AAL business models for low income geographies 
• Ageing in other cultures, how older migrants differ 

  
Emerging social concerns with AAL 

• Ageism 
• Sexism 
• Getting it right: ethics, legal aspects, security and privacy 
• Long-term benefits and ownership 
• Broader societal impact

Chairs

• 
  Jean Hallewell Haslwanter, TU Vienna, University for Applied Sciences Upper Austria
• 
  Paul Panek, Technical University Vienna
• 
  Özge Subasi, Media and Visual Arts, Koc University Istanbul