ICT & Ageing: Users, Markets and Technologies · 2011-12-12 · y Ageing well in the community:...

ICT & Ageing: Users, Markets and Technologies

International Expert Workshop

European RTD in the Field of ICT & Ageing:

Lessons Learned & Issues for the Future

16th December 2009 European Commission, Brussels

Av. de Beaulieu, BU25, Room 0/S1

Summary of Outcomes Prepared by Lutz Kubitschke, Kevin Cullen and Ingo Meyer on behalf of the European

Commission, Directorate General for Information Society and Media

January 2010

ICT & Ageing Study Workshop Summary Report

© European Union, 2010 - Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged

The study has been commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate General for Information Society and Media, unit ICT for Inclusion. All views expressed in this document, however, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. ICT for Inclusion unit: [email protected] http://ec.europa.eu/einclusion


© European Union, 2010 - Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged 2

Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 2 SUMMARY OF OUTCOMES ..............................................................................................2

2.1 Achievements to date ...................................................................................................2 2.2 Issues for future research .............................................................................................3

2.2.1 Ageing well at home ......................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Ageing well in the community........................................................................................... 5 2.2.3 Ageing well at work........................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Cross-cutting issues .....................................................................................................7 3 ANNEX WITH PRESENTATIONS ......................................................................................9

3.1 Workshop agenda.........................................................................................................9 3.2 Introduction to the project and workshop objectives...................................................10 3.3 European Research in ICT for Ageing Well – Status and Outlook .............................13 3.4 Overview of Input Received........................................................................................22 3.5 Summary of the morning discussion (generated by the study team during

the lunch break as input to the afternoon session) .....................................................29



1 Introduction

During recent years, the social and economic challenges connected to the accelerating trend towards population ageing have received increasing policy attention, and a lot of interest has been expressed in the potential offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide new solutions. In the European context, the European Commission has prepared an Action Plan on Information and Communications Technology for Ageing Well in the framework of its i2010 initiative which notes that better leveraging of the potential provided by ICT for independent living in an ageing society is both a social necessity and an economic opportunity. Three core areas are highlighted where ICT generally provides positive potentials:

Ageing well at home: enjoying a healthier and higher quality of daily life for longer, assisted by technology, while maintaining a high degree of independence, autonomy and dignity.

Ageing well in the community: staying socially active and creative, through ICT solutions for social networking, as well as access to public and commercial services, thus improving quality of life and reducing social isolation.

Ageing well at work or ‘active ageing at work’: staying active and productive for longer, with better quality of work and work-life balance with the help of easy-to-access ICT, innovative practices for adaptable, flexible workplaces, ICT skills and competencies and ICT enhanced learning (resp. e-skills and e-learning).

In general, ICTs are seen to present an opportunity for a ‘win-win-win’ outcome, whereby needs of older people are met in a high quality manner, the costs of providing care and and/or other forms of support are maintained at manageable levels for society, and new market opportunities open up for ICT-based products and services. However, although a considerable range of promising systems and devices has emerged from RTD efforts pursued in Europe and beyond for more than a decade, wider mainstreaming of ICT-enabled solutions within real world service settings has been slow to emerge. Some of the underlying reasons identified in the Commission’s action plan include insufficient understanding of user needs, an underdeveloped marketplace and lack of visibility of relevant solutions to potential deployer organisations and end users, as well as technical, infrastructural and regulatory barriers.

Part of the challenge is an RTD one, and there is much scope for technology development and for testing in real-world trials. In addition to more basic RTD, further efforts may be needed at the 'closer-to-market' end of the innovation lifecycle and process. Various EU programmes are now providing considerable funding for RTD and also for more deployment-oriented activities in this field.

Against this background, a workshop was held on 16th December in the context of the ‘ICT & Ageing’ study (http://www.ict-ageing.eu) at the premises of the European Commission in Brussels with a twofold objective:

a. to take stock of achievements of European level research activities in the field of ICT & Ageing and;

b. to identify themes that warrant further attention in forthcoming work programmes.

In conceptual regard, an interactive approach was taken and participants were expected to actively contribute to the debate during the event. With a view to facilitating a productive discussion, experts interested in participating were requested to submit a brief statement according to a pre-specified format together with their registration (see the Participant Statement form attached to this document). The feed back received was be synthesised prior



to the workshop and fed back into individual sessions.

As can be seen from the attached agenda, the event started with a plenary session directed towards setting the scene for subsequent thematic sessions. Each session was moderated with a view to discussing the current state of play and possible issues for further research. In this context, recommendations made by “The European Ambient Assisted Living Innovation Alliance” in relation to a common strategic vision for R&D approaches in the AAL context – the Ambient Assisted Living Roadmap – were considered as well. (http://www.aaliance.eu/public/documents/aaliance-roadmap/)

The event addressed variouse stake holder groupings, including:

Representatives of EU-funded projects in the ICT & Ageing field, g: Individual researchers and representatives of research organisations from the

public/private domain that are interested in the ICT & Ageing theme; Representatives from potential deployer/funding organisations; Representatives from EU and national level research and/or innovation funding

programmes and agencies; Representatives from user organisations.

Overall, 39 experts participated in the event.

2 Summary of outcomes

2.1 Achievements to date

With a view to facilitating a productive discussion, participants were requested to submit a brief statement according to a pre-specified format prior to the event. Feedback received in relation to achievements yielded by European-level research activities can be summarised as follows:

EU RTD has helped to bring the ICT & Ageing theme onto the agenda of a still “fragmented” scientific community, and this has helped to mobilise research capacities and stimulate a development towards a European Research Area (across disciplines, stakeholders, countries).

The need for ensuring user involvement in relevant RTD and for pursuing a needs-driven approach rather than mere technology push seems generally understood, though not always well implemented by relevant research projects.

EU RTD has been successful in terms of funding the development of technology solutions/components in rather small scale pilot settings. However, diffusion of RTD outcomes into real world deployment environments such as national welfare / health systems is still to be achieved.

EU-level initiatives have contributed to a better understanding of prevailing conditions for wider deployment, e.g. by alerting relevant stakeholders to current disparities between nations/regions within the EU and by exploring reasons for lacking take-up and barriers to progress.

Problems regarding interoperability of components have been or are being addressed to some extent, e.g. in terms of ontologies.

Some technological building blocks have been or are being addressed in terms of basic research, e.g. networking technologies, hardware development, home automation and platforms for integration of devices.

When it comes to applied research some application fields that are of particular relevance to the ICT & Ageing domain have been or are being addressed by European projects as



well, e.g. monitoring of chronic conditions, activity monitoring, home safety and comfort.

2.2 Issues for future research

Quite a wide range of issues in relation to RTD / research themes that warrant further attention in upcoming work programmes were identified in the participant feedback received in advance of the event, and were augmented and further expanded during the discussions. These can be summarised according to the three core areas defined in the Commission’ action plan.

2.2.1 Ageing well at home

Issues suggested for further consideration in relation to the ‘ageing well at home’ theme can be summarised as follows:

Usability / accessibility / personalisation / adaptability of user interfaces and communication devices;

Robustness of solutions, reliability and continuity of operation; remote management / fault trouble-shooting and repair;

Portable / wearable mobile devices, near body sensors / actuators; Interpretation of advanced sensor data (e.g. error detection, accuracy, decision support,

expert systems); Standards (e.g. plug and play interoperability, modularity, customer choice); Context recognition, context-aware / unobstrusive interaction within the household; Innovative robotics applications / truly autonomous robotics; New power solutions (e.g. energy harvesting); Closing “the loop” between personal systems (at home) and systems used by service

provider organisations (e.g. care services); Integration of home entertainment with telecare/health systems. Integration of stakeholders across the full service chain (e.g. end users, care givers,

payers) in terms of new models of joined-up care and remote management Impact assessment / evaluation Stimulation of a consumer market beyond national welfare/health systems Ethics, e.g. personal choice re healthy life styles / self-management

The discussion at the workshop focused on a number of aspects around the ‘ageing well at home’ theme, as summarised in the following subsections.

Commonly usable ‘plug and play’ platforms for AAL solutions The need for an 'AAL platform' that is standardised, open, 'plug and play', and covers the whole care chain was quite frequently mentioned as an important requirement to support progress in this field. On the one hand, it is necessary for the evolution of deployment and of the wider marketplace. On the other hand, RTD projects need to work as much as possible to a common framework in this regard. In relation to this it was pointed out that a recent EU call for RTD proposals has already focused on open platforms and a major project is being funded in this area. This should make an important contribution to the field. Nevertheless, it was felt that there was a need to develop commonly agreed evaluation criteria for assessing such platforms. Beyond this, a suggestion was made that deployment related activities could emphasise the role of service ‘aggregators’ which are responsible for running such platforms in the market place, supporting the players running their social/health service on them.



Future-proofing The importance of giving increased attention to future-proofing of technology implementations was also emphasised. This was required at a variety of levels and for a variety of reasons.

One aspect relates to changing needs of the individual over time and the importance if designing and installing home systems that can be adjusted to changing requirements without major disruption. More longitudinal research on changing needs over time is needed to support this. Also, more mapping of expected technology evolution and incorporation of results into current RTD and deployment activities is needed.

Another aspect concerns a more market-focused future-proofing, so that systems developed in RTD focusing on ICT and Ageing take into account wider market developments. It was mentioned, for example, that the ICT and Ageing agenda is not as “big” as the environmental one, e.g. in terms of market volumes concerned, and it would be useful to examine how RTD work in our field could be oriented to developments in the home environmental management field. Similar issues also arise with regard to the home entertainment domain. Cooperative activities between the ICT and Ageing and other fields should thus be encouraged. More specifically, some participants felt that more RTD was required on how to make interoperability in heterogeneous environments a reality although it was suggested that, in relation to ontologies, this issue seems already to be addressed by ongoing EU-funded research.

Improving system / component performance The issue of improving system/components performance received some attention as well, e.g. in relation to the robustness of current solutions, their reliability and continuity of operation as well as remote management, fault trouble-shooting and repair. A lack of reliability and robustness seems to be a common experience in RTD and deployment-oriented trials at the moment. This poses the potential to negatively affect acceptance of emerging solutions, as well as raising important ethical issues in relation to the RTD process and roll-out of new services.

It was suggested that there is a need for more research focusing on why components fail. In addition, it was mentioned that communications technologies today are not necessarily always fit for purpose. The problems that IP telephony can pose for telecare services was given as one example. Also mentioned was the performance of wireless technologies, such as bluetooth, and it was suggested that these may not always be fit for purpose in the ICT and Ageing context. It was proposed that wireless standards should be improved with view to increasing reliability. Some participants felt that a systematic collation of relevant component performance issues including technology/regulatory constraints causing these issues - and ethical issues around this - would be helpful to guide near term research. In a longer term perspective, there may be merit in exploring possibilities offered by self-repairing, self-configuring systems in this regard. It was also suggested that more short-term research on selected aspects in joined laboratories could be helpful to progress developments in this regard.

Design and 'packaging' Issues around user acceptance, usability, aesthetics, non-stigmatising design and design/packaging of solutions to fit with the home environment were also mentioned. Some participants felt that this needed a lot more research attention but there was also some discussion as to what aspects of this theme fit within EU RTD (or other programmes such as CIP) and what should be left to the market to address. Nevertheless, there is a very real challenge for RTD projects and trials to offer well designed and packaged solutions so that



lack of design appeal does not cloud the evaluation of the core functionalities that are being offered.

It was felt by some that EU-level support was appropriate in relation to some “hard” RTD issues around this theme. For example, it was suggested that the concept of mass customisation concerns fundamental design challenges, e.g. when it comes to overcoming functional and / or emotional barriers towards utilisation across different groups. Other aspects mentioned include for instance the ease of configurability, installability and maintenance (e.g. by means of energy harvesting).

Processing, analysis and interpretation of large-amounts of complex data The processing, analysis and interpretation of large-amounts of complex data on persons, environments, situations and dynamically occurring events that are now becoming available in AAL environments was suggested as an area which should receive particular attention in forthcoming research. Here it was for instance suggested that the positive potentials generally provided by data generated in an AAL environment should be explored. Up to now, emphasis had been put on ‘doing the same like before’ with help of new technologies. Rather than this, more attention should be given to exploring what might be possible beyond this. With a view towards a more short term research agenda, it was suggested that there would be merit in defining boundaries for reasoning/self-learning behaviour of systems and preventing harm to the end-user resulting from self-customising systems, e.g. through an events-based approach. From a more long term perspective, the development of open-source virtualisation tools was mentioned as a possible research theme.

Robotics Finally it was mentioned that more attention could be given to the application of robotics in this field, including deeper examination of the real practical benefits that might be possible. In this context it was mentioned that a recent workshop was held by the Commission to review current research and application trends in this field with a view to providing strategic guidance for drafting the ICT Work Programme 2011/2012. A report summarising outcomes of this event can be downloaded from the Commission’s web site: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/events/workshop_robotics/index_en.htm

2.2.2 Ageing well in the community

In relation to ‘ageing well in the community’ issues suggested for further attention can be summarised as follows: Internet based communication, Web 2.0, virtual communities; Security/trust for older people using the Internet and other ICTs Solutions to support mobility of older people (personal mobility - walking etc., driving and

public transport) Accessibility / ease-of-use of user interfaces / devices / ICT based services; Methods for translating user requirements into technology development; Incorporation of artificial intelligence into the AAL paradigm (e.g. neuronal networks,

cooperative systems, computer vision) Basic research on capabilities / personal needs (e.g. communications) Awareness raising of the potentials provided by ICTs (e.g. at policy level) Regulation / legislation (e.g. re accessibility, service availability)

As summarised in the following, a number of aspects were discussed around these themes.



Web 2.0 / Virtual Communities The issue of Internet-based communication, Web 2,0 and virtual communities was discussed in a little more detail. One issue needing to be addressed is the apparent lack of interest of many older people, even though it must be recognised that many do in fact use the internet. There is a need for more research on barriers to usage of these technologies and applications by older people.

One topic that was emphasised here concerns security/trust issues for older people. Older people are likely to be more at risk of negative experiences and also to be more likely to avoid usage because of concerns about these issues. This theme is sufficiently important to warrant a dedicated research focus to better understand the issues and needs and to design and develop age-friendly solutions. Some discussants felt that there was merit in directing RTD towards moving Web2.0 applications/services onto platforms that are more suitable for being used in day-to-day life when compared with a “traditional” desk top computer (e.g. mobile, unobtrusive devices). More generally, research and development on age-friendly solutions were felt to be important by some participants. One aspect concerns attention to the perceptual changes with ageing (hearing, vision etc.) and it was suggested that these should receive a lot more research attention. In addition, research on supportive technologies (e.g. a personal 'butler' to help older people navigate online) would be useful.

Contextualisation of good practices It was also suggested that there was a need for a lot more awareness of existing good practice in the application of these technologies to the social communication needs of older people. Research to identify, collate, disseminate and contextualise good practice is needed in this regard. In this regard, the ePractice portal maintained by the European Commission was mentioned as a useful source of information, as well as the Commission’s eInclusion award scheme. Some participants felt however, that the need for contextualising knowledge and experiences gained by others was a big challenge that may warrant more attention when it comes to exploiting individual examples of good practice on a wider scale. Finally, it was suggested that there might be value in supporting the development of an open source (web 2.0 / social media) platform that could be used by organisations addressing older people's needs and interests in varying local contexts. This could facilitate a lot more utilisation of these technologies in this field.

2.2.3 Ageing well at work

When it comes to ‘ageing well at work’ research themes warranting further attention were mentioned as follows:

Monitoring of well being and personal safety at work / rapid response (e.g. portable wireless kit for personal security, self-management, vital sign monitoring);

Individualised user interfaces; Simulation devices/equipment (e.g. aging suit, hearing impaired simulation) to be used by

work place designers: Advanced collaborative technologies, designed to meet the needs of older people (e.g. in

terms of e-accessibility, usability and functionality); Flexible working arrangements / related ICT infrastructures (e.g. neighbourhood offices); Age-friendly workplace and work technology design more generally and assistive

technologies in particular; During the workshop, a discussion emerged around the following themes.



Perceptual changes with ageing One topic that was emphasised again is the need to give a lot more attention to age-related needs arising from perceptual and other changes associated with ageing. These needs must be better understood and the workplace and workplace ICTs need to take them into account. A specific proposal was the development of tools to help designers and employers to better understand these needs, for example, 'age suits' that give the wearer a realistic experience of what it means to be older. Another important need is to be able to detect changes in perception and other functions as early as possible. New diagnostic to facilitate early detection would be helpful in this regard, especially tools that could be used privately by workers themselves.

Supporting working carers Finally some discussion was given to the possibilities to develop and apply ICT-based solutions that can support working carers, that is, people caring for family members whilst also having paid employment outside the home. This is an important theme in the context of demographic ageing. There seems to be considerable scope for research on new solutions that can help informal carers to look after those that they care for whilst they are at work. For example, developments based on 'granny cams' could help monitoring the home situation during working hours and new configurations of telecare designed with the needs of working carers in mind may have a lot of potential. Overall there seem to be good possibilities for synergies between RTD on Ageing well at home and Ageing well at work in this context.

2.3 Cross-cutting issues

A number of observations were made during the event that cut across the three areas of interest defined in the Commission’s action plan.

Embedding ICT-related innovation into a wider innovation context One topic that was emphasised by various discussants concerns the need for embedding ICT-related innovation into a wider innovation context. Several examples were reported where new ICT solutions would yield desired impacts only in conjunction with non-ICT related innovation, e.g. appropriate re-design of the physical/build environment or of prevailing service processes/models. It was felt by some participants that such a broader perspective towards innovation was however difficult to maintain within “traditional” ICT projects, as a very broad range of local stakeholder grouping may need to be involved in a particular case (e.g. social service providers, health care providers, housing providers, town planners, public transport organisations and so on). The ‘silo’ structures still prevailing in national/local deployment environments in relation to service provision and funding were felt to represent a major barrier in that regard.

Generating reliable / valid evidence on positive impacts of ICT-enabled innovation A number of interventions that were made during the debate suggest that there is much room for methodological innovation when it comes to assessing impacts ultimately yielded by innovative practices in the ICT & Ageing domain. Here it was for instance stated that randomised controlled trials (RCT) have considerable weaknesses when it comes adequately taking account of the co-evolution of technological innovation and process innovation. Although they have proved useful in clinical research settings (e.g. drug testing), many methodological problems exist when it comes to the evaluation of complex socio-technical innovations, e.g. due to the existence of a variety of potentially confounding factors - and the complexities of their interaction - that are required to be controlled for when



compared with “classic” clinical research designs.

In this context, it was highlighted that the European Commission has already pursued a first effort in that regard, by organising a workshop in October 2009 with the aim to enable sharing of knowledge and experiences on impact assessment among representatives of major trials in this field. An initial set of possible common indicators stemming from ongoing project work was analysed and conditions for constructing statistically significant metrics for the purposes of impact measurement were discussed. The results are to be taken up by follow-up work directed towards developing a repository of relevant existing documents, which is to serve as basis for further discussions and exchange of best practices in the field. This is hoped to contribute to the development of a common framework for building up a solid and comparable evidence base that ultimately facilitaties policy and investment decisions towards wider deployment of relevant solutions. An outcome report on the workshop can be downloaded from the Commission’s web: site:http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/docs/ageing/impact_assessment_workshop.doc

Also, it was suggested that there was merit in doing dedicated socio-economic research on the overall economic wealth that can be created by keeping older people independent and active with help of technology, as it has e.g. recently been done in the US. It was felt that decision makers were not always convinced that a positive cost-benefit ratio can be achieved at societal level in that regard.

More generally, some participants felt that the market players would address many of the aspects discussed in relation to EU-level RTD (e.g. design issues, customisation of systems/services, reliability/ maintenance issues) on their own, i.e. without EU-level support, once sufficient numbers of orders would be received for the products they have already on offer. It was suggested that the EU could play a supportive role in particular when it comes to better understanding structural deployment barriers for existing ICT appliances / products and communicating these to relevant stakeholder groupings (e.g. decision markers at local / regional / national level).

Communication technology The cross-cutting nature of communication technology received some attention during the debate as well. Here, it was highlighted that across the three different workshop subtopics - ageing well at home, in the community and at work - an important bridging aspect of "Aging and Health" concerns social contacts and inter-human communication, whereby the latter tends to pose challenges to many older people in relation to their speech capabilities, their hearing capabilities and/or their visual capabilities. As an example, it was mentioned that about 40% of people at the 65+ age range had a hearing problem, and that only 15 to 25% of people who actually needed hearing support would not use existing hearing support technologies or assistive listening ICT. There seems to be a lot room for improving the current situation. Although quite a lot of EU-level activity has been directed towards ensuring accessibility of ICTs to people with functional impairments under the ‘eAccessibility’ heading, the importance of inclusive communication technology should therefore not be overlooked in future RTD programs directed towards the ICT & Ageing domain.



3 Annex with presentations

3.1 Workshop agenda

10:20h – 10:40h European Research in the field of ICT & Ageing - Where are we at and where do we want to go?Paul Timmers, DG Information Society, Head of Unit H.3: ICT for Inclusion

10:40h – 11:00h ICT & Ageing – What has been achieved so far and what do users expect from future RTD?Anne-Sophie Parent, Director Age – European Older People’s Platform

11:00h - 11:30h Coffee break

11:30h - 13:00h Taking stock & proposing further research topicsAW at home, in the community, at work

13:00h - 14:00h Lunch break

14:00h - 15:30h Prioritising topics & proposing operational approachAW at home, AW in the community, AW at work


16:00h - 16:20h Continue prioritising topics & proposing operational approachAW at home, in the community, at work project

17.00h Closing



3.2 Introduction to the project and workshop objectives

Welcome !Expert Workshop

European RTD in the field of ICT & Ageing: Lessons learned & issues for the future

Brussels, 16th Dec 2009

ICT & Ageing – European Study on Users, Markets & TechnologyEuropean Commission Information Society and Media Directorate GeneralSMART 2007/0054

1

Study context

• ICT & Ageing – European Study on Users, Markets & Technology (2008 - 2009)

• European Commission, Information Society and Media Directorate General

• Main strands of work:– Improve understanding of ICT and ageing markets and barriers

– Explore important ethical issues related to ICT and ageing markets

– Provide assistance to clustering / coordination between FP6/7 projects



3

The current workshop

• Action Plan on ICTs for Ageing Well:– Ageing well at home (maintaining independence,

personal autonomy and dignity)

– Ageing well in the community (staying socially active)– Ageing well at work (staying productive at work)

• Objectives of this workshop:– Taking stock of EU-level research activities

– Identifying topics that warrant further attention

4

A complex socio-technical space

Telecare

Home Telehealth

Smart Homes /Assistive Technology

Mainstream ICTs

First generation

Social alarms

Second generation

Sensors

Third generation

AAL

Voice

Data Video

Environmental controls /Home automation

X10

Zigbee

Health management devices

Callcentres

iTV

Web-based

Monitoringcentres

HIT

Vital signsmonitoring

Audio/videoconsultation

AugmentativeCommunication

Devices

Voice

Mobile

Video

Games

Social contact Entertainment/leisure

Depression

Chronic disease Medication adherence

Health promotionWellness

Activities of daily living

Manage home

Memory/cognitionDementia

Go places

Monitoring

Prevention

Security

FallsSafetyGet help

Memory/cognitivedevices

OSGI

KNX

Intelligent Transport

Intelligent Cars

Navigation/orientation

DrivingPublic transport

On-demand

Age-friendlydesign

Tracking

Sensors

Controls

Actuators

Robotics

Assistivetechnology

Work

Accessibility

Work-from-home

Workingcarers

Teleworktechnologies

Age-friendlyworkplace

Computers HandheldsWebText

Web

AAL

Intr



5

Approach

• Participant statements

• AAL roadmap

Synthesise available knowledge

• AW at home

• AW in the community

• AW at work

Consolidated view on high level topics

Prioritising individual topics &

concretisation / possible approach towards individual topics

Long term / basic RTD

Short term /

applied RTD

Other means

Setting the scene

• Commission's perspective

• Older people’s perspective

Main a input / interest concerns the ‘AW at home‘ theme

6

Proposal for revised agenda

10:20h – 10:40h European Research in the field of ICT & Ageing - Where are we at and where do we want to go?Paul Timmers, DG Information Society, Head of Unit H.3: ICT for Inclusion

10:40h – 11:00h ICT & Ageing – What has been achieved so far and what do users expect from future RTD?Anne-Sophie Parent, Director Age – European Older People’s Platform


11:30h - 13:00h Taking stock & proposing further research topicsAW at home, in the community, at work

13:00h - 14:00h Lunch break

14:00h - 15:30h Prioritising topics & proposing operational approachAW at home, AW in the community, AW at work


16:00h - 16:20h Continue prioritising topics & proposing operational approachAW at home, in the community, at work project

17.00h Closing



3.3 European Research in ICT for Ageing Well – Status and Outlook

European Research in European Research in ICT for Ageing Well ICT for Ageing Well --Status and OutlookStatus and Outlook

Peter Peter WintlevWintlev--JensenJensenHead of SectorHead of SectorICT & AgeingICT & Ageing

ICT for InclusionICT for InclusionDG Information Society DG Information Society

and Mediaand Media

••• 2

ICT in support of older people…

• At Work• Staying active and productive for longer

• Better quality of work and work-life balance

• In the Community• Overcoming isolation & loneliness• Keeping up social networks• Accessing public services

• At Home• Better quality of life for longer

• Independence, autonomy and dignity



••• 3

Ageing Well in the Information Society: A triple win for Europe

• Improving the quality of life of elderly people, and of their relatives and carers

• Ensuring sustainability of health and social services in terms of financial and human resources

• Creating new jobs and business opportunities for European industries

••• 4

A 4-point action plan

• Raise awareness, shared understanding and common approaches• Best practice exchange, awards • Ministerial conference, 30 Nov-3 Dec 2008 in Vienna

• Create the right conditions – remove barriers• Stakeholder groups, studies, benchmarking

• Accelerate investment in and take-up of proven solutions • ICT Policy Support Programme, Innovative public

procurement, Regional Funds

• Prepare for the future through research and innovation => FP7 and AAL Joint Programme



••• 5

ICT for Ageing WellA Comprehensive EU Approach

Time to Market

Technology Risk

FP7

AAL JP

ICT PSP

Ageing Well Action Plan

•Challenge 7 & 5 •longer-term R&D •integration of new ICT & new ideas•open platforms and interoperability•~400 M€ in total

•market oriented R&D•cost-efficiency•adaptation to specific demands, …•~600 M€ in total

•large scale trials (using existing technology)•service and organizational innovation•business case development, ...•50 M€ in total until now

5-10 years 2-3 years deployment

••• 6

EU R&D Support

Framework Programme 7 ICT researchChallenge 7: ICT & Ageing• Advanced Prototypes for independent

living/active ageing (Ambient Intelligence, Robotics)

• Open Systems, Reference Architectures, Platforms

• Support: roadmaps, standards, S/E research, Int’l cooperation

Challenge 5: eHealth• Personal health systems monitoring;

minimal invasive systems, artificial organs, mental health

• Support actions: roadmaps, wireless use, interoperability

Currently~30 projects, 200 M€



••• 8

EC ICT & Ageing R&D Projects

Open Platforms and Tools

PERSONA MPOWER

SOPRANOI2HOME

OASIS

UNIVERSAAL

MONAMI

Advanced Prototypes

CONFIDENCE

SHARE-ITSMILING EASYLINE+

ENABLE

SENSACTION-

AAL

VITAL

DIADEM

COGKNOW

ELDERGAMES

HERMESVITALMIND

COMPANIABLE

FLORENCE

MOBISERV

SRS

KSERA

Supporting Measures

AALIANCE EPAL CAPSILSENIOR BRAID

••• 9

e-Inclusion FP7 Call 4 (2009-2010)

• Ageing (long term R&D): 24 M€• Service Robotics for independent living • Open Platforms for independent living,

mobile/stationary, work/home, linking to health & energy

• Accessible & Inclusive ICT: 34 M€• Brain/neuro computer interaction/control• “Virtual user”/Main Stream Accessibility

• Call closed on 1st April 2009, see http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/ for more information



••• 10

Stepping up research through the AAL Joint Programme

• New Joint Programme between Member States on market-oriented ICT research in Assisted Living technologies and services• Total investment >€600m• National contribution of at least €150m• EC contribution up to €150m • Cofunding by Industry and Research ~

50%

• Complements longer term research in FP7 - €400m and EU CIP pilots

• Linking National programmes to EU research

Currently >50 projects

(Call 1-2), 120 M€

AAL JP Focus Areas

1st Call

21 projects

2nd Call30+ projects

••• 11



••• 12

EU Innovation Support

ICT Policy Support ProgrammeLarge deployment pilots

• Independent and healthy living • Chronic disease monitoring• Daily living assistance … integrated health/social care• User acceptance, common specs, cost-effective,

interoperability• Building on Regional activities

• High visibility, market driven • Overcoming fragmentation• Enable scaling up, investment• Value chain cooperation • Regional/rural/urban renewal

(+ pre-commercial procurement, Structural Funds)

10 pilots (Call 1-3),

15 M€ in 200710 M€ in 2008

8 M€ in 2009

••• 13

CIP ICT PSP(Competitiveness & Innovation Programme -

ICT Policy Support Programme)

• Deployment/validation of existing technology• Strong involvement of Regions

(3-4 regional pilots in every project)• ~100-150 Users in each pilot project

• 2007 Call 1: Pilots on Ageing/Health• Management of multiple chronic diseases and support to

independent living of elderly people

• 2008 Call 2: Pilots on Ageing• Ageing well with cognitive problems (early dementia)

• 2009 Call 3 Pilots on Ageing/Health• Integrated health and social care solutions for ageing well, within

care organisations and towards the elderly users• See http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/ict_psp/

index_en.htm



>40 Regional sites involved in ICT PSP Ageing & eAccessibility Pilots

AALIANCE Innovation PlatformMain Objectives

Roadmapping

SRA

Policy Recommendations

Standardisation Requirements

Community Building

••• 15www.aaliance.euwww.aaliance.eu



••• 16

Other Support Actions

• CAPSILEU support action funded to promote further collaboration EU-US-JP in ICT for Ageing Research (from 1/4/2008-1/4/2010) www.capsil.org

• SENIOREU support action funded to develop ethical guidelines for new ICT for Ageing Research http://seniorproject.eu/

• EPALEU support action to develop a roadmap on ICT research for Ageing @work

http://www.epal.eu.com

••• 17

Conclusions

• Ageing Well in the Information Society - social necessity and economic opportunity

• ICT has great potential for providing solutions, but need for comprehensive policy support

• European action plans launched by the European Commission

• Ageing well in the information society• eHealth Action Plan + eHealth interoperability• More than one Billion € in R&D between 2006-2013

• National action plans essential



Further Information

• EU ICT and Ageing Well Initiativeshttp://ec.europa.eu/einclusion

• Challenge 7 of the ICT Programme on Cordishttp://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/programme/challenge7_en.html

• ICT Policy Support Programmehttp://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/ict_psp/index_en.htm

• Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programmehttp://www.aal-europe.eu/

• Best Practice Portal http://www.epractice.eu

• Contact:peter.wintlev-jensen (at) ec.europa.eu

••• 18



3.4 Overview of Input Received

Expert WorkshopEuropean RTD in the field of ICT & Ageing: Lessons

learned & issues for the future

- Overview of input received -



2

Achievements I

• EU RTD has helped to bring theme on the agenda of a “fragmented” scientific community (not yet an established RTD / business sector) and other stakeholders (policy, social/health services providers)

• Mobilisation of research capacities and stimulation of an ERA (across disciplines, stakeholders, countries)

• The need for user involvement / needs driven approach rather than mere technology push seems generally understood (though not always well implemented)



3

Achievements II

• EU RTD has been successful in terms of funding the development of technology components in small scale pilots (yet missing diffusion into given deployment environments such as national welfare systems)

• Exploring conditions for wider deployment, e.g. alerting people to the disparities between nations/regions within the EU, reasons for lack of take-up, barriers to progress

4

Achievements III

• Problems re interoperability of components have been addressed by some projects (e.g. in terms of ontologies)

• Basic research: technological building blocks, e.g. networking technologies, hardware development, home automation, platforms for integration of devices

• Applied research: solutions re monitoring of chronic conditions, activity monitoring, home safety (switch-off-everything), comfort (ambient control of lights/music), small scale testing / user studies



5

Things not yet achieved I

• Problems limiting effective exploitation of RTD outcomes

• Creation of new business models for wider implementation of relevant solutions

• Vertical integration of across relevant stake holders that have a contribution to make in reality

• Approach often still technology driven rather than needs driven

6

Things not yet achieved II

• Adaptability & personalisation of systems to individual user needs is understood as an important requirement, but has been rarely realized yet

• Development of a standard AAL platform suitable to host a variety of applications (e.g. home automation, security, energy saving)



7

Technology topics for further RTD:Ageing well at home I

• Usability / accessibility / personalisation / adaptability of user interfaces and communication devices

• Robustness of solutions, reliability and continuity of operation; remote management / fault trouble-shooting and repair....

• Portable / wearable mobile devices, near body sensors / actuators

• Interpretation of advanced sensor data (e.g. error detection, accuracy, decision support, expert systems)

• Standards (plug and play interoperability, modularity, customer choice)

8

Technology topics for further RTD:Ageing well at home II

• Context recognition, context-aware / unobstrusive interaction within the household

• Innovative robotics applications / truly autonomous robotics

• New power solutions (e.g. energy harvesting)

• Closing “the loop” between personal systems (at home) and systems used by service provider organisations (e.g. care services)

• Integration of home entertainment with telecare/health systems



9

Techology topics for further RTD:Ageing well in the community

• Internet based communication, Web 2.0, virtual communities

• Accessibility / ease-of-use of user interfaces / devices / ICT based services

• Methods to translate user requirements into technology development

• Incorporation of artificial intelligence into AAL paradigm (e.g. neuronal networks, cooperative systems, computer vision)

10

Techology topics for further RTD:Ageing well at work

• Health monitoring at work / rapid response (e.g. portable wireless telehealth kit)

• Individualised user interfaces

• Simulation devices/equipment (e.g. aging suit, hearing impaired simulation) to be used by work place designers

• Advanced collaborative technologies

• Flexible working arrangements / related ICT infrastructures (e.g. neighbourhood offices)



Other research topics

Home• Integration of stakeholders across the full service chain (e.g. end users, care

givers, payers) / new models of joined-up care and remote management • Impact assessment / evaluation • Stimulation of a consumer market beyond welfare / helath systems• Ethics, e.g. personal choice re helathy life styles / self-management

Community• Basic research on capabilities / personal needs (e.g. communications)• Awareness rising of the potantials providede by ICTs (e.g. at policy level)• Reglation / legislation (e.g. re accessibility, service availability)

Work• New approaches towards flexible working arrangements / teleworking• Flexible transition from full employment to “3rd-age” emloyment

arrangements

11

AAL Roadmap I

Home• Tele-monitoring and self-management of chronic disease (sensors,

connectivity, power, self-management systems....)• Support to care-givers and care organisations (video consultation, vital data

acquisition and transmission, remotely operated actuators....)• Personal safety and security (home safety, falls, mobile, intelligent walkers...)• Assistive robotics (bio-robotics, cognitive and companion robotics, care

robotics)

Community• Social inclusion, entertainment/leisure• Transport/mobility (pedestrian systems, in-vehicle systems, driver/traffic

support systems, public transport systems)

Work• Age-friendly workplace and work technology design• Assistive technologies• Age-friendly work arrangements (e.g. telework)

12



AAL Roadmap II

Enabling technologies and functions• Sensors (implantable, wearable, multisensor platforms, wireless connections,

new power solutions...)• Reasoning (model-based situation/context/behaviour analysis...)• Acting (musculoskeletal actuators, robotics, intelligent integration of sensors

and actuators, intelligent homes)• Interacting / interface – (common interface standards, adaptable interfaces,

avatar robots...)• Communicating (home and local networks, personal/body networks, public

networks, ‘Internet of Things’, ‘Internet of Presence’...)

Also• Reference architecture• Interoperability

13



3.5 Summary of the morning discussion (generated by the study team during the lunch break as input to the afternoon session)

Afternoon session:

More concrete suggestions forresearch on priority topics:

Technology & Other topics



ICT & Ageing – Users, Markets and Technologies 2

Technology Topics: A selected ‘short list’

Home

AAL platform (standardised, open, ‘plug and play’; home systems and whole care chain..)

‘Future proofing’ of technological implementations (to take account of changing needs,technology evolution, integration with other market domains/segments....)

Improving system/components performance (robustness of solutions, reliability and continuity of operation; remote management / fault trouble-shooting and repair;....)

Design and ‘packaging’ (usable, aesthetic, acceptable, non-stigmatising, installable....)

Reasoning (processing, analysis and interpretation of large-amounts of complex data on person, environment, situations, dynamically occurring events....)

Acting (mechatronics/robotics/advanced home automation) (bio-robotics, cognitive/companion robotics, care robotics, intelligent home...)




Technology Topics: A selected ‘short list’

Community / MobilityWeb 2.0/social media for older people (age-friendly design, applications, content.....)Security/trust in ICT-based services (banking, government, shopping....)

Personal mobility (walking support, way-finding, intelligent street furniture....)

Transport (driver/traffic support systems, public transport systems....)

WorkAge-friendly workplace and work technologies design (to address age-related changes in perception, mobility, cognitive and other areas)

Assistive technologies designed to support work processes of older workers

Age-friendly ICT-enabled working arrangements (home telework, neighbourhood work centres....)


Technology Topics: A selected ‘short’ list

Cross-cuttingAge-friendly design – (to address perceptual and other changes with ageing; usability / accessibility; personalisation / adaptability of user interfaces and communication devices)




Concrete research suggestionsHome: 1. AAL platform

Near term (applied) research Longer term (basic) research

• Service aggregator: organisation responsible for platform (in the market place)

• Develop criteria for the “right” European platform(s)

• XXX

• XXX

• XXX

AAL platform (standardised, interoperable, open, ‘plug and play’;

home devices/systems and whole care chain..)


Concrete research suggestionsHome: 2. Future Proofing


• Important step twoards this goal: meet user needs

• Integrate segments operating in the same field

• More research into how to make interoperability a reality in heterogenuous environments

• Equipment (hardware) integration

• Build future proofing along stakeholder chain and user life cycle

• Consider the business case of future proofing

• XXX

• XXX

• XXX

Future proofing (of what’s installed in homes)(to take account of changing needs, technology evolution, integration with

other market domains/segments....)




Concrete research suggestionsHome: 3. Performance


• Improving wireless standards to increase component reliability

• Systematic collation of component performance issues, ethical issues around this, technology/regulatory constraints causing these issues

• Open platform on wireless communication???

•

• Self-repairing, self-configuring systems

•Short-term research in joined laboratories on selecetd issues

System/components performance (robustness of solutions, reliability and continuity of operation; remote

management / fault trouble-shooting and repair; IP telephony....)


Concrete research suggestionsHome: 4. Design and packaging


• For more short-term, close-to-market research: design, aesthetic issues etc.

• Involve more expertise to better understand user requirements

• More “hardcore” research topics around configurability, easy installability, maintenance (e.g. energy harvesting)

• Fundamental design issues also as more basic research issues

Design and packaging(usable, aesthetic, acceptable, non-stigmatising, easily installed....)




Concrete research suggestionsHome: 5. Reasoning


• Make more out of AAL and AAL-generated data and their potential

• Define boundaries for reasoning/self-learning behaviour of systems, preventing harm to the end-user, e.g. thru an events-based approach

• Open-source virtualisation tools

• Open-source virtualisation tools

Reasoning (and automatic system customising / adaptation based on this)(processing, analysis and interpretation of large-amounts of complex data on person,

environment, situations, dynamically occurring events.....)


Concrete research suggestionsCommunity: 1. Web 2.0/social media


• Support older people in developing new interests for the “third age”, or re-discovering old ones

• Open-source platform for local “Facebook for older citzens” portals

• Research into intrinsic barriers that keep motivated older people from using ICT

• “Digital Butler” supporting in various ADL

• XXX

• XXX

• XXX

Web 2.0/social media (for older people - age-friendly design, applications/content e.g. volunteering.....)




Concrete research suggestionsCommunity: 1. Web 2.0/social media


• Move Web2.0 onto platforms that are more suitable for dy-to-day life (mobile, unobtrusive)

• Persuasive / motivational IT tools for older people

• Not everything new and specially developed for older people

• Identify “Best Practice” projects, e.g. thru a competition, make Best Practices findable

• XXX

• XXX

• XXX

Web 2.0/social media (continuation)older people - age-friendly design, applications/content e.g. volunteering.....)


Concrete research suggestionsWork: 3. ICT-enabled work


• Linking telecare data into the IT system at the informal carer’s work place

• Awareness raising: “age simulators” to make decision makers aware of problems experienced by older workers and possible solutions

• Self-screening / diagnosing for older employees to identify age-related impairments allowing to inform employers and facilitate follow-up

• XXX

• XXX

• XXX

ICT-enabled working arrangements (telework /neighbourhood work centres, ICT support for working carers....)




Other topics

Socio-economic researchEthicsValue case – quality provided, business caseCare provision systems analysis (social, health, housing; local as well as national)Organisational barriers, professional/cultural barriers, reimbursement modelsAffordability (individual, public agencies...)

Methods (that can be used in RTD projects)• e.g. user involvement/needs-driven approaches, evaluation, trial design, ethical analysis.....

Deployment-oriented actions / supportLarge-scale trials, demonstration/awareness, training/skills development (all levels and professionals)Promotion of design for all

Support for commercialisation / ‘productization’?

Systematic methodology for constructing the technology research ‘roadmap’Effective ways to enable involvement and contribution of all stakeholdersCapturing of achieved results/knowledge, and building on this...Including reasons for failure / lessons learned / research processs...Continuous updating and evolution


Concrete suggestions Other topics

Research or other actions

• Systems features adaptable to different user needs and different levels of ethical compliance

• Research into / identification of evaluation methods that properly take into account process change in order to reliably analyse costs and benefits

• Consideration of ethical rules???

• Harmonization of impact assessment / evaluation approaches

• Consensus building around technology research roadmap: on different geographical levels, aiming to achieve broad coverage, supported by flanking activities. Challenge: get stakeholders’ attention and time. What population to address?

• How much is it worth to extend someone’s life? -> Issues that engineers can’t tackle.




Concrete suggestions Other topics

Research or other actions (cintinuation)

•How much is it worth to extend someone’s life? -> Issues that engineers can’t tackle.

• Strengthen the user involvement paradigm, improve the way how they are involved and how their involvement can be evaluated

• Agree upon a set of key scenarios as a reference point for user involvement and evaluation. Challenge of defining those scenarios. Provider-independent. Based on operational experience. (WHO age-friendly cities)

• Roll-out of ICT Best Practice programmes

• Consider change management in RTD activities to increase likelihood of take-up

ICT & Ageing: Users, Markets and Technologies · 2011-12-12 · y Ageing well in the community:...

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