The conception of selected Technology Assessment method and the possibilities of TS application

The article addresses the problem of population aging and the related problem of using and maintenance of technical means by the older persons. Such persons, as participants of the exploitation process, experience various problems. Therefore, the challenge is to adapt technical means to the needs of older people. The response of engineers to this challenge may be the technology assessment, which assumes the adoption of various achievements in the field of philosophy, sociology, psychology or other social sciences as tools for their work. The proposal for such a solution is presented in the article and it is an indicator that allows you to draw conclusions about the real needs of older people. The effect of calculations with its use is the Wi characterization in the function of the human age. This characteristic complements the characteristics obtained on the basis of empirical data about the behavior of a technical mean. The article also presents the possibilities of using the discussed indicator. These include: improving the quality of life of users of technical means at various ages through rational management of company resources, improving the quality of life of users through user-centered design, exclusion from exploitation by the elderly technical means/their components based on social technology assessment, analysis and optimization of needs people of different ages, modeling the movement of older people, elimination of social exclusion of older people, improving the quality of life of people of all ages through appropriate knowledge management.