This is my first **blog post** and we'll be discussing the lack of uptake, i.e. scale up, on novel digitial solutions developed as part of the AAL program.
To answer the WHY ? question; I'm writing this as we, that's our AAL partners and myself, fail to understand the AAL program; even after discussing this with the National Contact Persons - and discussing this with AAL affiliated staff. Quite remarkable !
The EU is heading towards a health crisis with an unprecedented cost/budget impact on the finances of EU’s nations; by 2050 EU28’s (incl UK) population of 55 years or more is projected to reach 200 million people [40.6 % of 500 mln people]). With this age group comes an increasing and early deterioration risk facing our citizens - a serious threat to life expectancy/wellbeing as well as a quality of life aspect with dramatic effect on healthcare costs. The risks are in particular to the increased risk of falling: >30% persons over 65, and half the person over 85 years old will experience a fall at least once a year. Bluntly stated:
“Age is the single greatest risk factor for nearly every major cause of death and disability in developed nations”.
EncourAGE is an ambitious EU centered approach to create and pave a way to a future, a destination, helping EU citizens to increase their healthspan, i.e. the period of life spent in relatively good health. Whilst offering a host of end-user products and services, EncourAGE provides the capabilities for municipalities, social care providers, ministries of Health & insurance companies to establish a Community Health system. It does so at minimum cost providing maximum flexibility for growth / expansion.
EncourAGE provides the ‘joint’, the hinge, between social care and healthcare; its solutions support promotion and prevention of citizens' health. It supports primary end-users whilst incorporating the needs of major stakeholders [health ministries, health care providers, municipalities]. EncourAGE recognizes the older adults need to attend museums, theatres, etc. It provides support for event ‘contributors’ [museums, theatre] to publish events in the simplest manners - using an already adopted standard - after which EncourAGE takes care of the ‘mapping’ events and invites users.
EncourAGE delivers a digital suite of evidence based IT solutions - in a community health setting - aimed to increase the healthspan of senior citizens. Obviously the solutions are developed by this consortium - but EncourAGE actively targets other vendors to integrate their apps to create an even more completed holistic health overview [3rd party integration]. It comes with a methodology, describing how to set up and manage health communities and it aims to establish a pan-European network organization to foster innovative solutions that deliver on healthspan.
EncourAGE is an open digital solution creating a connected society using evidence based meaningful activities [see example scenario] which motivates seniors to establish social contacts, encourAGING them “to get out and about” by connecting them with "like-minded people" [see image].
EncourAGE is a community productivity platform, both a run-time platform and an application development platform, with mobile and voice apps and mobile hardware - such as the CareWatch [wearable] and DrinkSmart. It connects seniors with care organizations, family and friends, and local business, and essentially creates a new social, motivational, infrastructure, on top of the physical infrastructure, and thus supports their everyday lives. By integrating the social activities of businesses, municipalities, care providers, social service organizations, libraries and “user communities” a social community driven society will emerge. EncourAGE uses an intervention model to change behaviour with meaningful activities which are delivered in the form of truly personal interventions, motivating seniors to “get-out-about”.