New technology tested to help European retirees

A new project, part funded by the EU, could allow more people who have retired abroad to stay in their new homes rather than having to go into residential care.

Tunstall, a company which specialises in telecare and telehealth solutions, has been chosen to head up the new Service Orientated Programmable Smart Environments for Older Europeans (SOPRANO) project.

The €12 million project hopes to find technological solutions to the problems which will be faced by people as they get older.

Running for the next three and a half years, and featuring 20 partners from six European countries, the project will seek to "develop affordable, smart IT-based assisted living services aimed at promoting independence for older people".

"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," said Mike Hodges, research and development director at Tunstall.

"The low-level, round-the-clock care provided by telecare technology offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional care, while also ensuring users get the support they need in the familiarity of their home environment."

Telecare projects have previously been trailed successfully for patients suffering from dementia, but this is one of the largest European projects to test the viability of installing devices in the homes of older European citizens.

From Retire from the Sun