"Nana technology" is both a play on the common nickname for grandmothers and on nano technology, which represents everything it is not. Nano technology is about making everything ever smaller, while Nana technology is about making small technology bigger and giving seniors the tools to keep them safe and be more mentally alert.

No, that’s not a typo. Nanotechnology refers to technological devices smaller than a poppy seed. At the risk of making a bad joke, I’ll call nanatechnology the computer stuff for grandmas and grandpas, many of whom are your clients and patients.

George Mason’s Andrew Carle, assistant professor in the College of Health and Human Services and director of its assisted living program, has given a name to the multibillion dollar industry serving the rapidly growing elderly population — what he, and now others, refer to as "Nana" technology.