Assisted Living Systems – Models, Architectures and Engineering Approaches

Press Review

• Wie Senioren und kranke Menschen dank ambieter Technologien länger zuhause leben können. Interview von Wolfgang Back, Folge 76, 12.11.2007, Computerclub Zwei.
  Download der gesamten Sendung, 32 Kbit/s (~7 MB)
• Selbstbestimmend und ohne fremde Hilfe alt werden.
  Bericht von Uli Hauck, 17.11.2007, SR3.
• Älteren Menschen das Leben erleichtern.
  Bericht von Jürgen Rinner, 16.11.2007, Aktueller Bericht im Saarländischen Fernsehen.

Press Release

Wie Senioren und kranke Menschen dank ambienter Technologien länger zuhause leben können
06.11.07(German only)

Summary

All countries of the western hemisphere are more or less facing the fact that their population is continually growing older. In aging societies, an increasing proportion of people are suffering from a general loss of their motor, sensor and cognitive capabilities as well as from age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s and dementia. Usually, several capability losses and diseases occur together (multimorbidity). As a consequence, the amount of elderly people who are unable to live an independent, self-determined life in their preferred environment has dramatically increased in recent years, with a tendency to grow even further.

Governmental bodies, hospitals, healthcare and social care institutions have expressed their concern about this development, which

• marks a deep cut in the quality of people’s life, frequently ending in isolation and depression, and
• creates enormous costs for society caused by the need for intensive care or rehabilitation at home or in nursing homes.

Can assistive technologies based on computer-based Ambience Intelligence Technology help to substantially extend the period of self-determined life for elderly people? This was the key question addressed in the seminar on Assisted Living Systems, which attracted 40 specialists from 14 nations and 5 continents who discussed assisted living systems from three different viewpoints:

• the medical/psychologists viewpoint
• the outside viewpoint (users and industry)
• the inside viewpoint (sensor and software technology)

In the closing session, all participants agreed on keeping this group together by establishing an international competence network on assisted living systems. The next meeting of the group is planned for 2009 at Carnegie Mellon University.