No more throw-away 'Elderly' people: building a new image of ageing via a time accounting system

This paper investigates the potential of a special kind of local exchange system -a Time Accounting System (TAS)- in changing the traditional image of the elderly people. A TAS is a web-based software system that allows people to arrange transactions of time devoted to work inside a community. We report some findings from a literature survey perspective and from focus groups discussions that provide a comprehensive picture of the role of a TAS. This leads us to claim that a TAS is not only a supporting tool for the elderly people, but also a tool that might change the image of being elderly in the current society. Moreover, the review identifies the absence of a TAS in the developing countries, where "measures" to help people in their old age are considered as a necessity rather than a luxury.