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EU project to develop next generation technology for elderly care
Date2007-02-13
A consortium of 20 partners from European universities, public bodies and private companies is teaming up to develop next-generation technology to allow older people to continue to live independent lives in their own homes.
The part-EU funded Service Orientated Programmable Smart Environments for Older Europeans (SOPRANO) project will seek to develop information technology (IT) -based assisted living services aimed at promoting the independence of older people, improving their quality of life and addressing the issue of an ageing European population.
Mike Hodges, the Research and Development Director at Tunstall, the private company leading the research project, said: 'Against a background of accelerating demographic ageing across Europe, the latest telecare and telehealth solutions will play a pivotal role in helping to relieve some of the growing pressure on healthcare providers. Tunstall is proud to be leading this cutting-edge project which is addressing these key issues.'
The project will demonstrate how telecare technology, Information Technology (IT) and mobile communications can be harnessed to develop new community-based models of care and support. The research hopes to advance global knowledge in semantic IT, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) location, remote diagnostics, radar and integration architectures. 600 users will test the large-scale viability of these technologies in real homes.
The project will have two goals: to develop new ways of integrating assistive technology, telecare and telehealth solutions into users' homes to provide assistance; and to investigate the motor, sensory and cognitive difficulties experienced by older people and the best vision, voice or sensory-based means of communicating with users.
By integrating assistive technology with advanced telecare and telehealth solutions, SOPRANO hopes to develop a fully networked home environment. Integrated appliances and devices will support users in carrying out their everyday activities, and advanced telecare and telehealth solutions will monitor health and well-being and ensure that assistance is provided when required.
Mike Hodges added: 'the low-level, round-the-clock care provided by telecare technology such as this offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional care, while also ensuring users get the support they need in the familiarity of their home environment.'
Contact person:For more information, please visit:
http://www.tunstall.co.uk/
Remarks:
Category:Projects
Data Source Provider:SOPRANO project
Document of reference:Based on information from Tunstall
Subject index:Information, Media,Innovation, Technology Transfer,Medicine, Health,Scientific Research,Social Aspects
Programme Acronym:
FP6-IST
Record control number (RCN):27124