Interactive health management for the elderly
It is common for the elderly to have several medical conditions, and existing treatment options and interventions do not consider all the risk factors involved. Solutions are needed that cover the full range of risk factors and motivate the elderly to take up a healthier lifestyle. With EU funding, the project 'Healthy ageing through Internet counselling in the elderly' (HATICE) is developing a web-based intervention platform to assist the elderly in reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia. During the first reporting period, a shared platform was created to gather data from ongoing trials. The data was then used to compare the different treatment regimens in order to determine which intervention features are most effective in managing older patients with multiple cardiovascular diseases and risk factors. Various groups in France, the Netherlands and Finland were targeted that could potentially benefit from the different approaches. These were based on age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and cultural background. A standardised, Internet-based intervention strategy was designed that can be used by a wide range of health care systems throughout Europe and is consistent with national and local guidelines. It aims to reduce the risk of new cardiovascular diseases and dementia. Project partners developed a web-based platform that will be tested on about 25 participants in each of the 3 trial countries. The platform will allow the elderly to monitor their health status with the support of their doctors and nurses. By developing an interactive web solution that enables the elderly to take charge of their lifestyle and health, HATICE should decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease and its long-term complications.
Keywords
Elderly, healthy ageing, Internet counselling, cardiovascular disease, dementia
